The Normalcy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Hejin57
Summary: Haruhi Suzumiya and the word normal never fit well in a sentence, unless you change the definiton of the word. But just what the hell might happen if Haruhi ends being the one to conform? And how much worse can it get when it's all for Kyon's attention?
1. Chapter 1

**Well guess who's back, everyone? It is none other than I, Hejin! And I'm back with my latest and greatest story!**

**Now I just want to make some notes about this. While it is the fourth story in The Continuance of Haruhi Suzumiya(that's the best thing I could come up with regarding a series name), you don't have to actually read the first three this time around. You're welcome to, and I do suggest it, but you can get along fine with this new story without actually reading the first three. Given the fact that my first story is my most succesful as of yet, I highly suggest you do read them. **

**Now on another note, I'm really hitting for the jackpot with this story. I want over three hundred reviews by the time it's over, because I think that there are some stories out there that are getting so many, and frankly, not all of them are that great. Of course, stories like Meet The Suzumiyas deserve that kind of attention, but is it bad if I want a slice of glory too? I'll put my heart and soul into this next one everyone, and I have an amazingly amazing writer who has taken the gracious liberty to beta-read for me. This way, I can avoid coincidences and possible continuity errors from the novels I still have yet to read, because he's read them all. Gear up, everyone, because this one's going to be chock full of romance, so enjoy it! Now onto the greatness of the opening chapter!!!**

**Disclaimer: ****_Hejin57 doesn't own Suzumiya-san in any way nyoro~! It would be megas awesome, but Nagaru Tanigawa already owns her and the rest of the SOS-dan, and he owns mes too! _**

_Hejin57 Presents...._

**~~~~~~~~_The Normalcy Of Haruhi Suzumiya_~~~~~~~~ **

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Dreams. They are supposedly products of our functioning brain while we sleep. I've never been a big fan of my own dreams.

Now that could be for multiple reasons. Granted it might be because I never have the best dreams. Most of the time, I end up waking up from something confusing, or something completely nightmarish. There have only been a select few times in which I've been able to experience a truly pleasurable dream, and it is those kind of dreams I seldom discuss because they usually involve content that isn't very appropriate for children...

Anyway, I'm not having one of those dreams right now. Actually, I don't really know if this is a dream or not. All I know is that I'm not having a good time right now.

I'm standing up, and I realize that I'm on a very large table, which overlooks a spacious room. The wood below my feet is hard and firm, and everything certainly feels larger than life. I reach to scratch the back of my head, and I notice something very peculiar.

Is that a joint on my arm? What the hell? I don't remember having an arm joint the last time I checked. This is really strange.

Walking around, I realize my limbs feel extremely bulky and hard. I feel like someone inserted weights inside my skin, and my entire body is being dragged down as if it's being pulled down by magnetic forces. I keep myself standing, and walk to the far edge of the table, looking over to stare at the floor below. Something is telling me I should take my chances and jump down, but a voice cuts into the air and interrupts my train of thought.

"Ah, Kyon! I've been looking everywhere for you."

I turn, and see someone familiar behind me, about twelve or so feet away. He approaches with his own gait, and I can soon tell that it is none other than Taniguchi. The guy has a smile on his face, and he walks towards me with his own sense of style. Style he doesn't actually have, of course.

As he approaches, I notice something very strange about the way he looks. His arms and legs seem to have joints of some kind, and he looks quite blocky. It's like an action figure of Taniguchi is walking right towards me. I attempted to scratch the back of my head in confusion, but my hair feels like a solid mass of plastic, and I soon realize that I am exactly the same as the thing coming towards me. I've somehow turned into an action figure too.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"I don't know. I'm just taking my daily walk. It's nice to know that I get some freedom from Suzumiya's clutches. Too bad about what happened to Kunikida though. He didn't stand a chance against that power drill..."

Taniguchi crossed his arms after saying this, putting his head down as if mourning a lost friend. I'm just confused about what he's talking about. Since when did Haruhi enter this equation?

"There you are! It's time to play, Kyon!"

I looked up, instantly recognizing our Brigade Chief's voice. She is suddenly towering over us both, an evil expression on her face as her colossal form overshadows us like a mountain. The ribbon on Haruhi's sailor fuku seems comparable to the size of a car, and I feel completely dwarfed at the sight of this truly gigantic girl.

"Here comes our end! It's been good knowing you, man!" Taniguchi says, before I hear a loud crushing sound that's produced when Haruhi's fist comes crashing down on Taniguchi. He flies apart into pieces, and it's clear that he was in fact an action figure, because there's no blood or guts coming from all the scattered plastic that was his body.

Haruhi's expression is devilish now, and I can see one of her hands reaching under the table as she looks down at me. I was relatively silent in response to Taniguchi's demise, but fear is already overtaking me. Haruhi has something in her hand, and it looks like an action figure version of Itsuki Koizumi, who's smiling as he 's nestled in one of our Brigade Chief's massive fists.

"Come here!" she exclaims, and of course, I'm unable to move fast enough to escape her grip. I feel my bottom half being crushed from the pressure she's exerting on me, and I realize now that struggling is not an option.

"I'm going to have some fun with you two now. Time for a little boy action!"

As I watch Itsuki continue to smile, I realize too late just what Haruhi is talking about, and I grimace as I watch her about to bring both myself and Itsuki close together like we're some kind of couple. My world prepares to end at this moment.

The sound of a cellphone ringtone is going through my ears now, causing my eyes to slowly open as I reach for my phone. I flip it open, and it's at this point in time that I realize how bad of a dream that was. I thank whatever God is out there, if any, that it was just a dream, as Haruhi's voice enters the air.

"Kyon. It's good that you got up so easily today. Time for us to start planning for the summer coming our way! We're all meeting at the cafe, and you better not be late, or you're going to be paying. Bring things you for an overnight outing. See you in a few minutes!"

I closed my phone without much beyond a sigh. Only Haruhi would spout out so much without expecting any kind of response. I had the stupid notion that she would give us our first day of summer off like she said she would have. I should use my brain more often. Of course Haruhi would want to jump into our summer break right when it's gotten started.

I should have known that nothing would come so easily. The summer is going to be all about the SOS Brigade again. I sighed, before finally finding the strength to get out of bed.

There was very little time for any sort of breakfast, and any time I had was not to be wasted right now. When Haruhi demanded that you be somewhere, it was usually in your best interest to be wherever she wants you to be. And if you don't, then you should expect bodily harm to end up coming your way. I'm really not joking either.

And so, I found myself running out the door as I put my shoes and blazers on. Today was hot for the first day of summer, and perhaps wearing my blazer wasn't the best idea. Either way, I was in too much of a rush to really care at the moment.

I'm a little surprised that I had enough time to grab my bike and begin pedaling along towards my destination. Knowing Haruhi and her impatience, it might have been a better idea to just run, but perhaps Haruhi would accuse me of wasting valuable time one way or another. Nevertheless, I pedaled fast, and the fact I had all this overnight stuff on my back did not help my already failing stamina at all.

After a few minutes, I arrived at the front of the local cafe, parking my bike, and then proceeding to breathe heavily as I struggled to regain my composure. Haruhi doesn't know what the hell she puts me through sometimes. I wonder why the hell she thinks this stuff is so easy to do. It's not like I'm a born track runner or anything. Crazy girl...

Walking inside the cafe, I can see the entire SOS Brigade sitting down in a table, and they all look like they've been clearly waiting for me. I can't imagine what we have planned for today, but I really hope that it doesn't involve some sort of city search. Knowing the usual Haruhi however, it may very well involve something like that.

"You're late. Penalty!" Haruhi says from her seat, staring me down as I approach. I can't help but wonder if she still has hard feelings about our break-up the other day. It has only been a single day, so I can't imagine that she's completely gotten over it. God knows I certainly haven't.

"And hello to you too, Brigade Chief." I respond, taking the empty seat next to Asahina-san, who smiles sweetly at me as I sit down. Nagato shows no real reaction to my arrival, but I can only guess that she is glad to see me. Itsuki just gives me a pleased look, and I acknowledge it as I take a seat.

"We're all here. Now it's time to unveil my plans for the ultimate SOS Brigade summer!"

Ultimate SOS Brigade summer? Somehow I don't like the sound of that. What exactly do you have in store for us, Haruhi?

"I have the list right here. It's got just about every fun activity that I could think of for this summer. I was working on it all of last night. Remember that it's subject to change at any time!"

It seems like everyone except Nagato-san finds the urge to crowd over Haruhi's piece of paper, so we can all see exactly what she wrote. For a girl with such a wild and exuberant personality, Haruhi actually has some extremely neat penmanship, much to my own dismay. Like I said, I was never a high achiever in much.

My eyes glance across the list, and I absorb the breadth of activities that our Brigade Chief has presented to us. It seems quite comprehensive, actually.

Deep sea fishing. I wonder where Haruhi got that idea from. I guess she found a sudden interest in fish? I don't know where she plans on going fishing, but I really hope it's not anywhere near Tokyo bay. Or perhaps all those kaiju attacks around there are fake. Maybe I'm just paranoid about that kind of stuff...

A nature hike on Mt. Fuji? Just where does Haruhi plan on getting the funds or the means to get to Mt. Fuji in the first place? God knows that Tokyo is some hundred odd miles away from us. This list is certainly surprising me a bit, even considering Haruhi's standards.

There's more on the list, but one specific item catches my eye the most. It says "slumber party". I raise an eyebrow, and speak before I even allow my own thoughts to run through my head.

"Slumber party?"

"Yup. You remember the last time Tsuruya-san invited us over to her mansion? Her parents just bought a new one right at the edge of the city! She's allowing the Brigade to spend the night there in celebration of it's grand opening, which just happens to be today. That's why I asked you to bring stuff for overnight. I had this planned in advance, Kyon. You should know that I'm always prepared."

I groan to myself. Of course you've had this planned, Haruhi. Because having things done one day before counts as having it done in advance. Is it me, or is luck just always on this girl's side? I know that she couldn't have just somehow managed to catch Tsuruya with her newly purchased mansion open for visitors tonight. I knew the girl was from a wealthy family and all, but even I didn't expect her to get a new house so quickly. I guess when one has barrels full of money, one can buy themselves just about anything they want.

"Tsuruya-san's invited us to spend the night at her new home? Sounds like it will certainly be enjoyable." Itsuki comments, the same smile still apparent on his face. Asahina-san seems to be intently listening, while Nagato remains silent, aware of the conversation, but not offering any input of her own.

"You bet it'll be enjoyable! I can't wait to see how big it is! Tsuruya-san told me that it's at least double the size of her last home!" Haruhi exclaims with joy in her voice, getting up out of her chair with her fists triumphantly pumping in the air.

Something tells me that it's certainly going to be interesting enough. Damn. I should have looked at the rest of Haruhi's list and see what other kinds of insanity she has planned for us this summer. Stupid me...

It seems to me that Haruhi could care less about the fact that it's only about noon, because we're already on our way to Tsuruya-san's. It's not like the rest of us might have anything else we might want to do with our day before being forced into something by Haruhi...

We're walking now, and each of us has a bag that contains the things we will need for an overnight stay at her most likely exquisite mansion. Now I've never disliked Tsuruya in any way, but I of course am able to notice her similarities to our own Brigade Chief.

Tsuruya is almost as energetic and wild-minded as Haruhi, but she lacks the mean streak that our Brigade Chief can express from time to time. Instead, Tsuruya is remarkably friendly and kind to just about everyone she comes in contact with, and it's no doubt made her a popular pick in North High. I know that there are probably a whole slew of guys who would just love to shut Tsuruya's constantly yapping mouth with their lips...

Maybe I should try to steer clear from the topic of women. I really don't want to be reminded of my own relationship issues. Well, they're not so much issues now, because Haruhi and I are effectively separated now. We both consented to it, and there were no hard feelings between us whatsoever. Well, at least during the actual break up part.

In fact, I feel like Haruhi was nicer to me in our break-up than in our actual relationship. That really isn't much of a good thing to point out, actually...

"You seem caught in inner conflict. I can easily tell."

Koizumi's charm-filled voice catches my attention, causing me to turn and face him as we walk. Haruhi is in the front with Asahina-san, and they seem to be chatting away about something that I don't actually care about. Nagato is beside them, silently listening like a good little alien.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired, is all." I respond to the esper, cursing him in the safety of my thoughts for being so observant. I don't know if it was my facial expression or the fact that he may very well have read my mind, but he sure was dead on with his comment.

"There it is!" Haruhi announces in front of us, abruptly causing the entire SOS Brigade to stop in their tracks. We would have stopped anyway, because the sight in front of us was certainly worth stopping for. Damn. Is it me, or does this new house of Tsuruya's seem to be unnecessarily larger?

Tsuruya's new home was huge, and it was definitely a mansion in every sense. This new mansion of hers was clearly Western-styled, although that could just be from the outside. Either way, it obviously looked like something that only the rich could afford. We had been walking for quite awhile on a long street, and Tsuruya's mansion was right at the end, in a large spot of land that probably went on for acres near the edge of the city. It was a tall spacious home, with dozens of expensive-looking windows spanning along the outside walls of it's multiple stories. There was no gate in front of her mansion, but a long circular driveway surrounded a large fountain that was sculpted with a marble swan smack in the middle of it. Even from this far away, the white door to her home looked massive.

"It's really big. Much bigger than last time..." Asahina-san said, eyes wide like a child as she looked on like the rest of us. Haruhi was the first to break from the line of staring, and she quickly headed for the door to Tsuruya's colossal home. We followed our Brigade Chief like newly hatched ducklings, and it wasn't long before we were standing behind her as she stood in front of the door, eyeing it with a determined look.

"It looks suitable enough for the Brigade's needs. I think it'll do for one night."

One night? We could live here for a year! In fact, I wouldn't mind such a thing at all. Maybe if we ask Tsuruya nicely she'll allow us to stay here forever. Or maybe Haruhi will start doing community service instead of taking us on pointless city searches. Yeah, that'll be the day!

Without another word, Haruhi pressed the large doorbell button, causing a loud ring to emanate around us. We waited for a second or two, and Haruhi got impatient, pressing the button again.

Again, no response. And again, Haruhi pressed the button.

Finally, we heard someone nosily running towards the door from the other side. The person sounded almost out of breath, and the door swung open with surprisingly force, revealing the female host of all this.

Tsuruya was in casual clothes, a toothy smile on her face upon seeing the breadth of us. She spoke in a high, enthusiastic voice, with a noticeable lisp.

"You guys came megas early! I thought you were gonna come later tonight. Guess I was wrongs! Come in, come in! My place is your place nyoro~!"

Tsuruya seemed happy to see us, and it already sounded like we might actually be enjoying ourselves tonight. Still, I really couldn't help but feel weird about the entire situation. We were spending the night at someone else's gigantic and new mansion, and I had this gut feeling that was telling me Tsuruya's parents were definitely not home.

Maybe it's just me. Either way, Haruhi's going to find a way to make things interesting, if not difficult.

The enthusiasm and excitement for this coming night is just killing me right now. And in case your not smart enough to realize it, that's sarcasm for you. I hope I didn't actually need to point that out.


	2. Chapter 2

**I have to say one thing about this new story guys, and it's the fact that I am so psyched by the amount of reviews I got for the first chapter. The fact that people think this story has the best introduction yet is amazing! So I decided to write the next chapter earlier than scheudeled, to satiate you all! Hope you guys enjoy it! And yes. Tsuruya is amazing nyoro~! :)**

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It's amazing just how alike Tsuruya-san and Haruhi can be. Clearly this green-haired animal of a girl shows an energy that is very comparable to Haruhi's. She's so friendly to us however, and that is contrapositive to our Brigade Chief's mindset, since she is more prone to being irritable.

"Come on in! Like I says, my place is your place! This mansion is megas bigger than the last one. It's so much bigger!" Tsuruya-san exclaims. Since it is only customary, the Brigade finally enters her home. She holds the door for all of us as we walk inside the main foyer, and I easily find myself absorbed in looking around at the interior of this house in awe.

"This all looks very exquisite, Tsuruya-san." Koizumi comments, looking up at a large delicate chandelier that hangs high above in the ceiling. I'm caught up with the massive foyer around us, and it feels like there's enough room in here for a few elephants to come waltzing through without a problem.

"Thanks, Koizumi-kun! This house costed bazillions of yen, you know! I'm so glad that I can finally settle in today!" Tsuruya-san responds happily, walking in front of all of us, her hands on her hips and her long flowing green hair swaying behind her. Somehow I get this feeling that Tsuruya-san could attract just as much attention as Asahina-san. It's fine to think such a thing and notice that Tsuruya-san is attractive, right?

"What made you want to suddenly move, Tsuruya-san?" Haruhi asked while also taking in the view around her, a relaxed look on our Brigade Chief's perfectly sculpted face.

"My parents thought our old home was too small. I guess they just wanted a house that was bigger. I can't say I'm one to be complaining much about it nyoro~!"

Figures that Tsuruya-san would talk just like that. I'll give her one thing, and that one thing is the fact that her speech pattern remains to be unique only to her. I don't even know what "nyoro" means, but she can't help but say it randomly at the end of her sentences. Nevertheless it will just be one of those unanswered questions that will remain to sit in the back of my head forever.

"Enough idle conversation! Let me show all of you how big this place is! It's so huge!"

With that, it seemed that the only viable thing to do was to listen to Tsuruya-san, as she planned on taking us on her own little tour of this enormous mansion. Granted that this tour wouldn't really be all that little, but it'll still be a tour, which wouldn't be so bad.

And so the SOS Brigade dutifully followed our new green-haired mistress, who talked facing us as she walked backwards, with her one sharp tooth popping up every time she smiled or laughed. It was kind of cute actually. In a weird kind of way.

Tsuruya-san led us all around her mansion, up flights of stairs that seemed to go on forever and ever, and through an endless amount of rooms. We started upstairs, then slowly descended as Tsuruya-san showed us all the rooms and parts of her house that she possibly could. She playfully spun around as she walked along in front of us, and it was easy to see that this hyper-active girl made no effort to conceal her true personality to the rest of the world. That's something to admire, I think. It means Tsuruya-san could care less what everyone else thinks of her. Haruhi is the same, surprisingly, just not always in the nicest ways.

"And here's the second bathroom on this floor! It's megas nice, and I just love taking showers in here! The water is so warm on your skin...."

Tsuruya-san kept yapping without much thought of what anyone might have to say, and I'll admit that I was half-listening at this point. The tour around this house was beginning to get repetitive, and I might have been falling asleep if Haruhi wasn't constantly nudging me to pay attention. After awhile, we found ourselves heading downstairs, past the kitchen, where I could hear someone chopping up fish on a wooden cutting board. It smelled like eel, actually, and I salivated a bit as we went down a flight of stairs that was leading us down into a very large basement.

Large is an understatement, actually. This basement was massive. It seemed like that Tsuruya-san's parents had decided to plop their house on an arcade, because that would be the most literal way to describe just how huge this basement was. Arcade machines were scattered all across this basement, along with an assortment of foosball, pool and ping pong tables. I spotted a bar all the way at the end, where a lonely bartender waited for someone to ask him for a drink. Out of curiosity, I wondered if he was authorized to give Tsuruya-san anything alcoholic.

"Here's the basement! It's got just about every kind of game and fun thing you could ever want! It's the most awesome thing in this house, next to the gym, sports field and ginormous pool outside ~nyoro!" Tsuruya-san exclaims to us, hopping forward like an energized rabbit.

Maybe the bartender gives her way too many energy drinks. I'm almost starting to think that's where she gets all of this personality from.

"This looks like fun!" Haruhi comments next to me, her eyes glinting with excitement. Koizumi is smiling on my other side, and Nagato remains silent and expressionless. Asahina-san looks curious with her eyes wide, and judging from the fact Tsuruya seems to be one of her only friends beyond the Brigade, I assume she doesn't feel uncomfortable or anything here.

It wasn't long until we all scattered across this basement, each of us having our attention grabbed by some sort of game. I let the others run ahead of me, save for Nagato, taking glances at all the arcade games I passed by.

There were quite a few classics that I could easily recognize. Mario Bros., Marvel Vs. Capcom, Galaga and even Mortal Kombat were only some of the many arcade games that I spotted as I walked along, hands in my pockets. Frankly, I'm not too much of a fan of the classics, but I guess I could survive playing a game or two.

And so, without a word, I came up to the machine that said "Mortal Kombat" on the side, and I didn't even get the the time to grasp one of the joysticks before Haruhi's voice exploded behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"What are you playing!?! Mortal Kombat? I remember that game! I want to play against you, Kyon! I bet I'll kick your ass like there's no tomorrow!"

I turned around to Haruhi, giving her a melancholic look. She took this as a challenge I would guess, because no sooner after me doing that did she come right beside me and grab hold of the other set of controls. I turned to face the screen, knowing full well what the outcome of this would be. I knew way too well.

After a few minutes of hopeless button-mashing, the words "Fatality" went through my ears as I watched my character have his head ripped off by the one Haruhi was controlling. Digital blood splattered all over the screen, and I put my head down and held back the urge to slam down hard on the controls in front of me. Haruhi had a determined and satisfied look in her eyes now. She crossed her arms, and smiled to herself.

"That was easy. You're so bad at video games, Kyon. But maybe it's just the fact that the Brigade Chief is naturally skilled at these kind of things."

Naturally skilled with be an understatement, Haruhi. You're lucky to be such a super-utility, and I would kill to have the same kind of versatility that you have. Do you hear me? I would kill. But of course you can't hear my thoughts. Plus, I wouldn't actually kill for the super-utility qualities that Haruhi has. Even I'm not that desperate.

I wandered away without a word, mostly because I didn't really have much to say to Haruhi. I almost had this weird feeling that she wouldn't care if I had anything to say anyway, so wandering off to do something else seemed like a good plan to me. Maybe I should go see where Koizumi went off to in this huge basement. There's no doubt he probably has something to tell me involving our infamous Brigade Chief. As I walked away, I could hear a brief exchange behind me between Haruhi and Asahina-san...

"Hey Mikuru-chan! Come over here and play this game with me!"

"W-what's it about? I'm not good at these kinds of things..."

"It's a fighting game! Get ready to fight!"

"Waaaah! Suzumiya-san! Why are you kicking my person?"

"Fight, Mikuru! That's the point of the game!"

"You ripped him in half! This game is scaring me, Suzumiya-san..."

"Oh don't be a baby! Keep fighting!"

After awhile, I got far enough away from the two playing Mortal Kombat that I could no longer hear them. I felt terrible, to tell the truth. I don't know why, but it felt like my soul had been ripped out, and all my insides were empty. Koizumi was visible in the distance, smiling as I approached. He was holding a ping pong paddle in one of his hands. I wasn't in the mood to play something like ping pong, which required a bit of physical activity, but it seems like I had no real choice if I wanted to get a few minutes to talk to Koizumi.

A loud ringing sound blared throughout the basement, and Tsuruya-san's head turned first, her tooth visible as she spoke loudly and energetically.

"The door! I'll go gets it! It must be our last guest!"

Tsuruya-san takes no time to run upstairs, her hair bouncing behind her as she takes loud steps until she's disappeared from our view.

Last guest? Who else did Tsuruya-san invite to this slumber party? I guess it's only know that I realize this essentially is a co-ed gathering, and with no parents in the house, we as teenagers essentially have control of this entire night. Luckily, it seems that we have no reason to hold a huge party here or something, and I doubt that Haruhi could stand such a thing anyway.

"This is quite the interesting get-together, isn't it?" Koizumi says from a few feet away, a smile on his face and the single ping pong paddle still in one of his hands. His eyebrows are calm, and he looks relatively relaxed. I can't say that I'm exactly the same. I feel a bit tense, actually.

"I guess so. Haruhi seems happy. And Tsuruya-san is certainly being quite generous about inviting us and everything. It'll definitely prevent Haruhi from making anymore closed spaces or anything."

"You're very right on that point. It makes my life easier as well. I don't exactly enjoy having to deal with her closed spaces, and it's safe to say that my comrades think the same."

You don't enjoy dealing with closed spaces? Could have fooled me, Koizumi. Judging from that smile you always are wearing, I would think you enjoy just about everything that life has to offer to you. It's a time like this where I distinctly remember one thing Koizumi told me. It had something to do with him having his real personality hidden from the rest of the world. He's wearing a metaphorical mask or something...

Where's Nagato anyway? I wonder if she got lost among all the arcade games...

"I'm backs!!!! And I brought someone with me!" Tsuruya-san exclaims as she descends down the flight of stairs leading into the basement, while holding the hand of the person following her as she comes down. I peer up to see just who it is, and it's easy to recognize the face of Taniguchi, who followed Tsuruya-san with an almost nervous expression on his face.

It's kind of amusing, actually. If I didn't know any better, I would say he was blushing.

"Taniguchi. Nice to see you." I said, and Taniguchi instantly acted all cool and collected upon seeing that the SOS Brigade was present at this gathering as well. It's obvious the guy wants to impress someone, though I'm having trouble figuring out exactly who.

"Yo, Kyon. I didn't know you guys were going to be here. Tsuruya-san just called me earlier today and said she wanted me to come and spend the night at her house. I guess she invited you guys too..." Taniguchi responds as he approaches us with Tsuruya-san, and there's something in his voice that alludes to him being disappointed. He must have thought that Tsuruya-san had a thing for him or something. The guy needs to think beyond hitting on women, personally. And where's Kunikida anyway? Usually Taniguchi and him come together like a pair of shoes, but Kunikida is obviously not present. I was just about to ask, before Haruhi decided to voice her opinion about Taniguchi's arrival first.

"Why is he here? You didn't tell me you were going to be inviting boring normal people like him, Tsuruya-san!" Haruhi says with an annoyed tone, pointing an accusing finger at Taniguchi as she wears a disapproving expression. Taniguchi raises an eyebrow in response, before Tsuruya-san finds the urge to suddenly hug Taniguchi like he's some sort of stuffed animal.

"Taniguchi-kun is megas fun to be around, Suzumiya-san! Besides, I don't think he's really normal or anything. I likes weird people like him and you guys the best ~nyoro!"

Taniguchi weird? I don't remember him being weird beyond having an obsession with always tracking me down on my morning hikes to school. Besides that, I think the guy is just an average adolescent lady-chaser. Tsuruya-san seems to be awfully nice to him. I wonder why...

"Anyways, I'm getting hungry! The sushi should be all cutted up for us. Let's all go upstairs and have a bite to eat!" Tsuruya-san announces after letting go of a surprised and almost slightly shaken Taniguchi. For a supposed ladies man, this guy seems to have a soft spot for Tsuruya-san. Or maybe it's just me imagining things. That could be it.

Dinner was unexpected for me, because the truth was that it was incredibly delicious. The smell of fish before had come from some of the house's cooks, who had been preparing fresh sushi for us this entire time. When we all arrived upstairs, we were presented with a huge display of freshly cut sushi laid out in a large dining room, and my nose seemed to just flare up in excitement at the odor of it.

It's amazing how much Tsuruya-san is able to eat, in my opinion. She went through scores of eel and crab like nothing, while Haruhi remained remarkably polite as the rest of us ate. Out of everyone, Nagato seemed to barely touch food at all, and I wondered if she was actually not hungry, or perhaps feeling bad or thinking intently about something. Either way, I found myself focusing more on my own food, rather than whatever might be troubling the light-haired alien.

After dinner ended, it seemed that Haruhi was the first to speak, and it sounded like she wanted control over what we were planning on doing next. Being so controlling about everything is natural coming from her.

"Tsuruya-san. You said you had a big pool. Why don't we go for a swim?"

That actually sounds like a good idea, Haruhi. I wouldn't mind taking a dip, but the only problem is you didn't tell me to bring a bathing suit, so if I swim, I'll be swimming in boxers.

"Oh yeah! This new pool of ours is megas huge!"

Sounds great. Let's go and swim before nightfall comes. I surely wouldn't mind the sight of these four girls with us in swim suits. I'm sure Taniguchi wouldn't either, and something tells me that despite outward appearances, Koizumi wouldn't mind as well.

"But it's still being cleaned. I don't thinks it'll be ready till tomorrow nyoro~. Sorrys."

Way to make my hopes come crashing down, Tsuruya-san. And I was looking forward to that swim. Now what the hell are we supposed to do with all this time?

"But no worries everyone! I gots this game called Twister upstairs in my room! I'll go get it right now!"

Twister. What a great idea, Tsuruya-san. If there's anything more appropriate for a slumber party, it would definitely be that infamous game based on a person's flexibility. Knowing Haruhi and her athleticism, it would certainly be quite the sight to see. And knowing Asahina-san and her clumsiness....

Get that game quickly, Tsuruya-san! Now you're keeping me waiting!

While we waited for Tsuruya to return after her watching her sprint upstairs, Taniguchi approached me, a slight grin on his face. He seemed happy enough that he had been invited to this thing in the first place. I hope he wasn't coming to comment about Haruhi or something...

"Kyon. I just had a sudden revelation."

"Really? What might that be?"

"I realize that Tsuruya-san is a definite double A +. She's got just as good looks as Asakura-san, Kyon."

"Oh. Nice to know, I guess."

Figures. Taniguchi always has an ulterior motive in mind, and I should have guessed earlier that he probably had some sort of thing for Tsuruya-san. The guy was being so blatantly obvious about it.

After a few minutes of us waiting impatiently, Tsuruya-san came running back downstairs, with a large box in her hands that contained none other than the very game of Twister that she had been talking about before. The green-haired girl was running towards us all at full speed, her one tooth visible even from this distance away. Something was telling me that we were in for a very interesting game....

"Right hand blue!" Koizumi announced, and I groaned in slight displeasure as I was forced to listen to the exact order he had just relayed to the four people playing. Why I had suddenly decided to play this stupid game, I do not know. All I know now is that Haruhi and Tsuruya-san decided that this was more of a competition and less of a game. Asahina-san just played as best as she could, and she couldn't be any less adorable.

"This is really hard..." Asahina-san says shyly, trying her absolute best to move her hand right on top of the blue circle nearest to her. Haruhi just ignores everything else, and it's amazing just how goddamn flexible she is, completing what the game asks of her without breaking a sweat at all. Meanwhile, Tsuruya-san laughs heartedly right in my ear, reaching over my chest to get to one of the blue spaces awaiting her.

"Left hand green!"

You're kidding, right Koizumi? I can't stretch like that! Why the hell did I have to join this stupid game? What was I thinking?!?

"I-I-I can't reach! Nyaaah!!!"

Without further ado, Asahina-san came crashing down, albeit right on top of me, which in turn caused Tsuruya-san and Haruhi to do the same. The sensation of Asahina-san's chest breathing heavily on mine was like heaven incarnate, and it took every fiber in my being not to start hyperventilating. Meanwhile, I assumed Taniguchi was probably swearing at me for being so lucky in this tangled mess of teenage girls, so I guess I found some solace in all this from thinking about that.

"Stop daydreaming, you idiot!!!" Haruhi exclaimed, breaking me out of my short fantasy as she elbowed me hard in the ribs. I yelped like a dog as I sat up, facing a now angry looking Haruhi who had her arms crossed. She looked like some sort of overlord who was displeased with just about everything I'd done. Clearly, she was very jealous.

"I'm going to take a little break. To unwind my twisted limbs...." I said, purposely decreasing the volume of my voice with the last part. Haruhi just gave me a glare, while Tsuruya-san got up almost immediately, and bolted past me like a roadrunner on stimulants.

So far, this isn't actually all that bad, despite what I sound like. Dinner was fantastic, and I guess I can say I'm having a little fun. I'm still kind of confused why Tsuruya-san sounded so excited about inviting Taniguchi and all. He's not nearly as much of the ladies man he always thinks he is, and I always thought that despite appearances, he probably didn't actually have many friends beyond myself and Kunikida. I guess you can feel sorry for the guy from time to time...

Now I was wandering away from the spacious living room we had just been playing Twister in, and it's safe to say that my mind was wandering as well. With my hands in my pockets, I found myself going upstairs, unknowing that I was heading the exact same way that Tsuruya-san had headed before.

"Man...the bathroom's here are huge..."

That was Taniguchi's voice, and he was talking from down the hallway, presumably to himself. He couldn't see me, and I suddenly found this urge to hide and watch him from a distance. I was too bored to do much else anyway.

"Hiyas! Whatcha doing, Taniguchi-kun?" Tsuruya-san exclaims as she suddenly appears behind Taniguchi, catching the guy completely by surprise. I held in a chuckle, because the expression on his face in reaction to Tsuruya-san appearing like this is completely and utterly priceless.

"Nothing. I was just....exploring...you know."

Is it me, or does Taniguchi sound more nervous than ever? I'm not imagining things, am I? No. Taniguchi is actually blushing as red as a beet. Damn! If I had a camera, this would be the ultimate blackmail material. Haruhi would love this....

"I'm glad you likes the new mansion! I likes it too. And I likes other stuff, Taniguchi-kun..."

Ignoring Tsuruya-san's speech pattern, I can see from this distance that she's getting a bit closer than comfort should allow to Taniguchi, and he's actually backing away with a face as red as blood. The expression on Tsuruya-san's face was like that of an excited tiger, and she seemed to be ignoring the idea of personal space as she just moved closer and closer to Taniguchi.

"Did I say something funny?" Taniguchi nervously asked, unaware of what Tsuruya-san probably had in mind for him. Given the fact that Tsuruya-san's face and Taniguchi's face were very close, I assumed that even Taniguchi, my self-professed ladies man of a friend, couldn't be so dense enough to not realize that Tsuruya-san obviously likes him.

"Silly Taniguchi-kun! I'm not talking about jokes nyoro~!"

"Oh, I knew that!"

"You know you're megas cute, right?"

"What?"

Taniguchi was silenced after that, because Tsuruya-san seemed to have gotten tired of all this talking, and she made no effort to stop herself from just attacking the nervous Taniguchi with her lips. For a moment, the guy went wide-eyed and blushed harder at the fact Tsuruya-san was kissing him, but surprisingly, he seemed to warm up to it, and it soon was easy to see that the both of them were caught up in their own little embrace away from the rest of the universe. At this point, I just turned away, having seen enough.

"Humans and their emotions of love. It is something that the Entity has yet to completely understand."

Nagato's voice certainly surprised me, but I didn't jump when I spotted her behind me. She continued to stare ahead like an autonomous robot, and I wondered just what she was thinking at this very moment. Nevertheless, I felt something brewing in my stomach, and when I glanced back at Taniguchi and Tsuruya-san, I could see they were still making out with one another.

I feel terrible all of a sudden. I don't even know why...

"Are you having a good time, Nagato?" I asked the human interface with a melancholic tone, and she replied to me as if she didn't understand my question.

"Yes."

Typical Nagato answer. No cut corners or anything, I would assume. What else is new? Nevertheless, I found myself trying my best to ignore the feeling in my stomach.

"Want to head back downstairs, Nagato?"

Nagato nodded to me, and swiftly turned so that I could now follow her downstairs.

And so I followed Yuki Nagato back downstairs, wondering how long Tsuruya-san and Taniguchi would be up here for. Perhaps the guy had been actually lucky for once. I had no idea Tsuruya-san had a thing for him. I guess one learns new things every day.

Still, I couldn't help but ask myself one question as I descended downstairs with Nagato in front of me. Perhaps it was a question produced because of the fact I was feeling terrible. Or maybe it's because of the fact I broke up with Haruhi just yesterday is really still affecting me brain.

Why couldn't I have more normal girls in my life? In the end, I'll never know the answer. I'm sure of it.

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**I really don't care what anyone else thinks. Tsuruya and Taniguchi is amazing and it is the only other pairing that I can see working in canon besides Haruhi and Kyon. It's so cute in a wierd kind of way. The next chapter will come soon everyone! Keep supplying those reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm glad to see that you're all enjoying my new story so far. As a note, I'd just like to point out that it might move along slow, but that's because I've got some progression that needs to be shown with the characters. So if you're wondering where "the story" is, you'll have to realize that building it up will take some time for this one. For now, just enjoy the Brigade and their antics. Get to reviewing everyone, because there's gonna be a week till I get another chapter in....**

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When was the last time I've felt jealousy? Frankly, I really don't remember. All I know is that right now, after just having watched Tsuruya-san making out with the formerly lady-less Taniguchi, I suddenly felt a large gap in my stomach that could signify jealousy.

With this feeling brewing in my lower stomach, I followed Yuki Nagato downstairs. I don't want to be feeling jealous of anyone right now, to tell the truth. Especially since it's still only been a single day since I separated with Haruhi. These envious feelings are just going to eat me alive if I continue dwelling on them...

A voice cut the air like a razor, snapping into my thoughts like a rubber band being launched from someone's fingers.

"What were you doing? I hope you weren't playing around with Yuki or anything! Being a Brigade member doesn't mean you're allowed to screw around with the other members, Kyon!"

As we were in the process of descending downstairs, Haruhi took the initiative to go and search for us. She was waiting all the way at the bottom of the steps, having shouted up to us with her arms crossed and a very disapproving look on her face.

What? What is Haruhi accusing me of this time? Don't tell me that every moment I spend with another girl is a reason for our Brigade Chief to make it sound like I'm being a sleazy pervert or something! Haruhi's just going overboard at this point.

Nagato seemed to robotically stop upon hearing Haruhi's exclamation, and I almost immediately felt uncomfortable when I deciphered what she said. I hid it well though, answering Haruhi in a calm and coherent voice.

"What? You're delusional. I was just going back downstairs with Nagato."

"Don't try to weasel out of it, Kyon! I know what you were doing! I'm surprised, though. I didn't know you could be so easily seduced. I guess you just fall hard for the silent types. You make me sick."

I make you sick? What's wrong with you? Where did all these nasty comments suddenly come from? Don't tell me Haruhi is still jealous as ever. I mean, I thought we had both agreed to breaking up. She even gave me this sweet hug and everything. Does Haruhi just disregard whatever she feels to be unimportant? What kind of stupid question am I asking? Of course she does.

"What? We're going down the stairs together so clearly we're up to something? You're being an idiot. I'm heading to the living room if you don't mind." I said straight out to her, having gotten fed up with this emerging attitude of hers. I figure it would be much better to strike it down now before it becomes an actual problem.

And so, without another word, I walked past Haruhi, and I only assumed that Nagato followed, albeit silently. Call me nasty for saying what I'm about to say, but I don't think I give much of a damn what Haruhi thinks of me right now. God knows I've dealt with enough of her and her attitude for the last few weeks, and a break from it all would definitely be a nice thing, if you ask me.

"You don't stand down against Suzumiya-san."

Nagato's random comment caught me a little by surprise. Was it a sudden news flash that not everyone in the world willingly breaks in front of our Brigade Chief? I don't think I've shown myself to be that spineless around Haruhi, have I? I certainly hope not.

"Take a little tour of your own?" Koizumi said to us as we entered the living room again, with his usual annoying smile on his face. Asahina-san didn't notice us at all, mostly because she was now occupied with staring at the many swimming fish that populated a gargantuan fish tank. Her curious expression was more adorable than words could describe.

"I guess you could say that. Taniguchi got surprisingly lucky. In fact, I think th-"

My incoming words were cut off, by a loud and hyperactive voice that easily rivaled Haruhi's.

"Hey guys! I gots an announcement to make! It's really important nyoro~!"

Tsuruya-san waltzed into the living room like a frisky newborn tiger, with Taniguchi right behind her, his hand locked in hers. I can imagine she probably has a powerful grip on him, because he looks like he's being dragged along like a little kid.

"Taniguchi-kun is my new boyfriend! I thoughts that you guys would want to know. I hope I didn't ruin anyone's hopes or anything. I don't wants to make anyone sad."

It's surprising, you know. Taniguchi doesn't seem to want to talk as Tsuruya-san holds his hand and keeps yapping on. He looks nervous and unsure, and I guess he's probably wondering how all this happened to him. It's remarkable that somehow, above all odds, Taniguchi has stumbled upon a girl who seems to have the hots for him.

Now granted this girl is extremely hyperactive and animal-like at the same time, but she is a girl nonetheless, and one who is is gifted with looks just like Haruhi is. So in the end, irony hits me like a flying pig, because Taniguchi now has the very thing that I had only days ago.

He has a girlfriend now. I do not. The world is amazingly cruel, don't you think? Perhaps karma has decided to give me a nasty wake-up call.

"What happened? The Brigade Chief should be informed of everything!" Haruhi states in an annoyed tone as she angrily stomps into the room. Heads turned, and Tsuruya-san's toothy mouth opens up, with intentions of giving Haruhi all the information she would ever need.

"It's megas awesome, Suzumiya-san! I gots a new boyfriend!"

Tsuruya's smile was like that of a rambunctious angel, and it was no surprise that Haruhi simply glared at the sight of her holding hands with Taniguchi. To tell the truth, Haruhi looked like an overbearing father who was dissatisfied with the man his child had chosen to marry. I just can't help but find it amazing she can be characterized with a male figure so easily.

"Hmph. I think you're showing poor taste, Tsuruya-san. But I guess if it suits you, then it's all fine." Haruhi responds, obviously unable to argue with someone like Tsuruya-san, since it seems like the girl's opinion would probably very hard to change.

With that exchange, it was clear that Haruhi had no choice but to accept this new development between Tsuruya-san and Taniguchi. We then moved on to more fun things to keep the night going. Not that any of us had any say in what we were doing next. Why? Because Tsuruya-san decided to drag us all back down to the basement, where a pair of large game machines awaited us at the far end.

"Let's play this!" Tsuruya-san announces, pointing her finger at the two DDR machines in front of us. I sighed heavily, realizing just how bad of an idea this is. I'm not any good at these kind of dancing games, and the last thing I want to do is make a fool of myself. Almost instantly, a voice of reason in the back of my head demands I protest against this.

"Why don't we play something else? I'm not too good at this kind of stu-"

"Shut up! You're playing against me! Now!"

I think Haruhi is out to get me. I really do.

No sooner after saying that, our Brigade Chief then proceeds to grab me by the arm and drag me onto the machine opposite from her like I was nothing but a lifeless rag doll. My feet stepped onto the machine with uncertainty, and I don't think I had much time to react before I could hear Haruhi already picking the song without even waiting for me to get ready.

"Hold on a second! I didn't say I wanted to play!"

"Quiet! I'm picking the song! Let's see...."

"Hey! Can I suggest one ~nyoro?"

Oh no. Please don't provide such an offer, Tsuruya-san. I know you mean well, but I don't have a good feeling that whatever song you plan on choosing will be in my favor. Oh forget it. What's the point? Haruhi's going to beat me no matter what this green-haired girl chooses.

And I was right. Very right, actually. After a round of "Canned Heat" and then another of "Virtual Insanity", I was left worn out, while Haruhi seemed happy and confident that she had easily dominated me. What did she expect the outcome would be? I can't dance to save my life, and when she picks songs that are based around the fact that you need to know how to dance, I have no choice but to lose. I can't believe Haruhi did both of them perfectly, too. Through my wheezing, I gave Haruhi a glare of destruction while she wasn't looking, feeling pissed that she thought that this is such an accomplishment.

After my failure in DDR, it's safe to say that the rest of the night was relatively boring and uneventful. We proceeded to watch a long and boring movie when it got to around mid-night, and the funny thing was that although Tsuruya-san was the one to suggest the idea, she's the one who ended up sneaking off. I figured she probably went to go make out with Taniguchi when we were halfway through the film. I can't help but wonder if Taniguchi is just a boy toy to her or something. I don't know, and I really don't care.

"Isn't it kind of ironic that Tsuruya-san could like a boring idiot like Taniguchi?" Haruhi randomly comments on the couch next to me as I was on the brink of falling asleep. This movie was turning out to be a terrible romantic comedy that I couldn't stand more and more by the second.

I groaned upon hearing Haruhi's statement, mostly because she pointed out a fact that only helped make the jealously in the back of mind reignite like a raging fire. Giving her an answer would be a bad idea, so I said nothing and closed my eyes again.

To tell the truth, I've been trying my absolute best not to think about it, but every time I glanced at Haruhi, I realized just how much I was being mocked by karma.

I just want to fall asleep.

I was surprised to know that my wish actually came true. How did it come true, you ask? Well, it seems that I was tired enough to just fall asleep on the couch in Tsuruya-san's living room. There was nothing to keep me awake besides a romantic comedy that I had lost interest in watching. In fact, I had lost track of just about everyone besides Haruhi by the end of the night, so it's not a wonder that I was able to doze off so easily.

A loud yawn emanated from my throat as sunlight peeked through the windows of the living room. At first, getting up was the first thing on my mind, but something else caught my attention before I could shake myself awake. In fact, I could feel hair tickling my nose, and someone was clearly leaning up against me, keeping me held down to the couch with their body resting on my arm. My eyes darted around, recognizing an orange headband, brown hair...

"Haruhi!?!" I said in a suddenly shocked voice, unable to control myself from shuffling around after discovering just how close Haruhi was to me. Apparently, she seemed to fallen asleep leaning up against me, and although I find it hard to admit, she was beyond adorable in this sleeping state. Her breathing was calm and sweet, and Haruhi's sleeping face could have easily rivaled any cute expression that Asahina-san could come up with on any given day.

It was then that Haruhi started talking out of nowhere, and it seemed that I didn't actually wake her up immediately despite the fact that I had almost screamed right in her ear due to our closeness to one another.

"Kyon...don't be such an idiot....you can't be...too...gentle..."

I raised a very confused eyebrow. What exactly was Haruhi dreaming about right now? Something tells me that it's not anything clean.

Damn. I guess this proves that she's certainly not gotten over it all just like she said it would. I should have expected this earlier. It's only in Haruhi's nature that she be unable to forget things so easily.

"It's morning already? Well, I guess I can't sleep forever."

Haruhi's voice sounded more coherent now, and the fact that her amber eyes were now staring up at me was obvious proof that she was awake. I felt nervous and uncomfortable all of a sudden. Of course it has something to do with the fact that Haruhi is so close to me. We're not in that kind of relationship anymore, but if I didn't know any better, I would say Haruhi is acting like nothing ever happened.

"Good morning, Brigade Chief. Can you please get off me? I do need some personal space." I blatantly said to Haruhi. If there's anything I have to do right now, it would be to make it clear to Haruhi that we're not in that kind of relationship anymore. What's over is over, and I will make Haruhi understand that as best as I can, no matter how thick-skulled she's going to act about it.

Much to my surprise, Haruhi said nothing after hearing my request to her. In fact, she looked very surprised herself.

I guess it was a good idea to point out that I didn't want to be so close to her, because she could have fooled me into thinking our break-up was a sudden news flash. The best way to get to Haruhi was to get straight to the point. And it seems to have worked this time around. What a relief.

Without a word, Haruhi stood up, looking away from me as if I had been the one to do something wrong. She took a quick glance at me, as if she wanted to say something that wouldn't come out of her mouth, before she walked away and out of the living room in a swift fashion.

Damn it. Now I feel bad inside. Well, I guess she took the hint. She had taken it quite well, actually. There was no arguing, no nasty comments, and not even a hint of assertiveness. It was very unlike Haruhi.

The rest of the morning was a relatively simple affair, because it mostly involved us eating a massive and excessive breakfast that was dutifully prepared by Tsuruya-san's cooks. It would have been delicious, but ever since I told Haruhi off, the food just tasted terrible to me.

I'm a little sorry to say that I wasn't too sad when we finally departed from Tsuruya-san's mansion that morning. She gave us all a very energetic goodbye, and I guess my mood just plummeted some more when I discovered that Taniguchi wasn't leaving with us. I don't know what those two planned on doing next, but I really didn't want to think about it.

Dammit! It's all Haruhi's fault! She's making this stupid break up harder than it's supposed to be!

I just want to forget about it all, and go on with this summer as painlessly as possible. But I can't if she keeps trying to get my attention every five seconds. Maybe that's why she was being so competitive with me before. She's just trying to get my goddamn attention. That's all this about.

Gah, why does this kind of stuff have to happen only to me? Why couldn't it be someone else? Why?!? Someone answer me already!

Thankfully, the next few days were a relative godsend. I got no phone calls from Haruhi, and it's safe to say that I was able to relax a little because if that. It would only be a matter of time till this short break ends, but I figure I should take advantage of it as much as possible.

On a bleak Thursday, the call I was dreading came, at approximately ten o'clock in the morning. My phone's ringtone became the most annoying sound in the world, because I knew for a fact that Haruhi was calling, and that I would be leaving the house today to go and participate in whatever our Brigade Chief had planned.

"What is it, Haruhi?"

Knowing that Haruhi was the on the other line could only mean that this was just another routine for me now. Last summer was exactly the same, although I liked it better when Haruhi's calls on my cellphone weren't necessarily my morning alarm clock.

"You'll find out soon enough! I want you down at the cafe immediately, Kyon!"

There was nothing else to say after that. I groaned to myself as I got out of bed and closed my phone at the same time. This morning felt much worse than usual. If I could avoid my sister, then perhaps that would be one positive thing about today...

"You're late once again. I can't believe how irresponsible at arriving on time you're becoming, Kyon. I'd give you a penalty, but you don't learn either way. I don't even know why I bother with you." Haruhi told me flat out when I finally arrived at the cafe, where everyone waited for me. I didn't kill myself getting there, but it wasn't exactly a calm or pleasurable bike ride either.

"Well, sorry! It's not like I have so much time when you call me at ten in the mo-"

Wait a second. Something doesn't feel right.

What did Haruhi just say? I didn't hear any anger in her voice. She didn't have the same tone as usual, and even the expression on her face was very unlike her. It sounded like Haruhi was just relatively displeased with me, and she was actually expressing it like any normal person would.

But she's not a normal person. I must imagining things.

"But we'll just put that aside for now. It's time we get to the actual point of all this. And that's the Brigade activity for today! Pick one of these everyone. Time to decide how we all get split up." Haruhi announces to the rest of the Brigade, holding out a bunch of toothpicks that are simply for the purpose of separating us into groups. I can't help but feel weird as I take my seat. I don't feel so good all of a sudden.

In accordance to what Haruhi just told us, we all take one toothpick from the bunch that she's holding in her hand. It takes a few moments for us to register who we're paired up with, and to my surprise, I managed to get a marked one that matches the blue color of the one Koizumi received. The esper gives me a smile from across the table, and when I glance at Haruhi, I can see her staring at her red-marked toothpick, and she looks very annoyed.

Haruhi mutters something under her breath, and then addresses us all again.

"Alright everyone. I've decided that we're going to be doing something different this time around."

Different? Somehow, I almost don't like the sound of that. What exactly does Haruhi have planned for us?

"What are we doing today, Suzumiya-san?" Koizumi asks in a calm tone, and Haruhi suddenly looks all confident, answering Koizumi with a voice full of self-righteousness. Even still, I feel like she's putting out a different vibe than usual.

"We're doing community service today. The SOS Brigade needs to have a better image in this city, and what better than doing a city-cleanup to help strengthen our image? It'll make us more well-known than before, without a doubt."

"Right. This is a joke, isn't it Haruhi? What's the real activity for today?"

Haruhi raises an eyebrow towards me, and she glares at me like I've shot the Prime Minister of Japan or something.

"I'm not joking, Kyon. We're doing community service, and you're helping whether you like it or not."

It was at this point that I just proceeded to shut up and slump down into my seat, unable to believe what I was hearing. If it was all in fact true, today did not sound fun at all.

Once again, I happened to be terribly right.

With a bored and melancholic look on my face, I stabbed at another can lying on the street. Tossing it into the green bag for recyclables, I turned to see that Koizumi was taking his sweet time in picking up all the surrounding garbage behind me. I groaned.

Haruhi was in fact not joking when she said we'd be doing community service. Apparently, she had signed us up to help clean all the garbage out of a long disused street some blocks away from North High. Don't ask me why, but I don't believe for a second that it's coincidental for all this garbage to somehow end up in one place, especially considering how environmentally conscious people in this city are.

And now we were stuck cleaning it all up, because Haruhi had suddenly gotten the bright idea that the SOS Brigade needed to be conscious of the local community to strengthen it's "image". I really don't remember that last time she's cared about such a thing. Call me selfish, but I really don't want to spend a Thursday in my summer vacation cleaning up other people's garbage.

"Enjoying yourself?" Koizumi asked me, having shown no hate for the fact we were stuck doing menial labor right now. I wonder what Haruhi, Nagato and Asahina-san are doing right now. I really hope our Brigade Chief's not telling us to do all this work while she goofs off.

"I wouldn't ask that question. You won't like my answer, Koizumi."

"I see. Well, I hope that Suzumiya-san is enjoying herself. All the better for the rest of us."

"Don't you mean for the world? It's not like you care about anything else besides the world's well-being..."

I would be lying if I said I don't realize how nasty I was sounding. Koizumi hasn't done anything to me, but I guess it's his optimistic attitude right now that's really annoying me. Or maybe it's something else entirely that's bugging me. Something that has to so with our infamous Brigade Chief...

"Once again, you're tense about something. It would be a waste to lie about it."

Damn you, Koizumi! Do you have a fetish for being right or something? I sighed to myself, knowing fully well that I had no choice but to answer him.

"It's nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"And it's all about, Suzumiya-san, no doubt? We all have her on our minds. Everything we know hinges on her emotional state, so it would be difficult not to worry about her."

I'm not talking about her stupid emotional state, Koizumi. I'm talking about.....never mind. I'm not dwelling on this kind of stuff. There are other things I'd rather think about right now. Let me just ask this esper if anything is going on with Haruhi. Then I can get those other things off my mind.

"You haven't noticed anything weird about Haruhi, have you?" I asked the esper, stabbing a plastic bottle on the ground at the same time.

To my surprise, Koizumi did not immediately answer me. He put on a studious expression, and narrowed his eyes before speaking in a concise tone.

"You're observant. There does seem to be something amiss regarding her usual demeanor. It's as if her personality is sporadically changing. I witnessed this phenomenon multiple times while you were asleep at Tsuruya-san's mansion a few days ago."

What? Just what were you doing with everyone while I was sleeping? You mean to tell me that you all stayed up while I was dozing off?

I ignored my own thoughts for the moment, bringing my attention back to the conversation at hand.

"And I'm guessing this is making your organization's job harder?"

"You are quite right. We've had some problems closing some of the spaces created by Suzumiya-san lately. It seems that some of the giants show a new capability to render themselves intangible to our attacks for brief periods of time. It's quite bothersome actually."

Great. Just great. First it's Haruhi falling in love with me, and threatening to destroy the world because of it. Then Haruhi starts losing faith in the existence of her strange beings, and the universe threatens to end abruptly. Then she reads the Bible, creates this weird orb, and once again, apocalypse is on the horizon. Don't tell me the same situation has entered my life again. And please, please don't tell me that it's all because I broke up with her.

I glared at Koizumi angrily, and before I could stop myself, I violently kicked a nearby can. Perhaps it was a mixture of conflicting emotions that surged through my brain at once. I don't feel great at all.

And it's all Suzumiya-san's fault. It's always her fault!

Damn you, Haruhi! It's times like these where I almost wish that I never met you....


	4. Chapter 4

**Well that was an EXTRAODINARILY long hiatus for me. I seriously did not expect to be not writing for that long, but I can safetly say that I am back in the arena once again! I wouldn't give up on these stories so easily, especially with the amount of people reading. I may not be the biggest guy around here, but I'm something! And that is more than enough to keep me going. As always, enjoy this new chapter! :)**

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When I think about what goes on inside Haruhi Suzumiya's head, I get this weird image of a giant, fleshy pink die rolling around inside her skull. Now that's a very strange and demented thought, but I can't somewhat help but find it kind of funny.

Anyway, the last few days with Haruhi have been both stressful and aggravating at the same time. She's been weirder than ever, and by weirder, I mean that she's not been herself. In fact, she hasn't really been herself since the summer vacation began.

Is there a coincidence there? Judging from what Koizumi mentioned about her personality being sporadic, I think we can all safely throw the word coincidence and all its synonyms right out of the window.

For some reason, our infamous Brigade Chief has suddenly found the urge to make us do community service on a daily basis. It's been a real pain, considering that she seems to be choosing only community service hours that take place from 6-8 AM. The amount of white hot rage that boils in the back of my mind because of this could probably destroy a city block.

But nevertheless, I keep my growing anger in check, and I basically let Haruhi go about as she pleases. And so for the last four days, all we've been doing is waking up early and undertaking some boring task of volunteer labor. This is all for our local community of course, but even that fact still doesn't make it any less fun.

And through all of this, Haruhi has remained to be a strict taskmaster over the entire SOS Brigade. Whenever you don't stab the aluminum can just right, she yells at you. If you didn't get enough grime out of the pond water, she yells at you. If you didn't pick up enough garbage out of beach sand, she yells at you. It's a terrible repetition that usually only involves Haruhi and myself.

And so, we arrive on Monday. Today, unlike most days, I feel the satisfaction of opening my eyes and looking at my alarm clock, realizing it is approximately 10:03 AM. My heart skips a beat, and a small smile forms on my face as I get the urge to just close my eyes and fall asleep again. With all this Brigade community service that we've been doing, you really can't blame me for wanting to rest.

I got a lucky break today. My calm and peaceful sleep lasted a few more hours, mostly because my mom and sister had gone out to do some errands. The fact that my mother dragged her along can do nothing less by warm my usually cold and empty soul.

My eyes snapped open, and it was not my alarm clock that had awoken me, but the sound of my conveniently placed cell phone. If I had any sense, I would have picked up the device and proceeded to throw it against my wall. Buying a new phone would certainly be much easier than going through the trouble of taking this incoming call.

But being a moron, I picked up the phone, and sighed as I can already hear a familiar voice speaking.

"You're so lazy, Kyon. I don't know how people like you even survive past age five. Sleeping this late in the day is like allowing the enemy to slit your throat!"

Haruhi's tone was actually calmer than usual, but her remarks weren't at all less annoying. I groaned to myself.

What enemy are you talking about? It's not like I need you're opinion anyway, Haruhi. I ask only for the miniscule right to sleep late, and I don't even get that from you.

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked in a grumble, knowing full well that our Brigade Chief would only call to inform me of the day's activities. Haruhi had effectively pissed me off now by ruining my once chance to sleep in without being rudely awakened by my younger sibling.

"Get yourself together and meet us all at train station in the next twenty minutes. Grab a bathing suit and anything else you need for an overnight trip. We need to get to the dock as soon as possible! Hurry it up, Kyon!"

And with those last loud words, Haruhi hung up, leaving me with a very indifferent expression. Am I supposed to expect anything different from this girl? Call me selfish, but I really hope she starts exhibiting signs of normalcy more frequently than she already is.

For once in my life, I decided to just walk to my destination. That destination was the local train station that we usually meet at. Why did I not go on my bike like I usually do, you ask? Truth be told, I kind of felt like taking it slow. In fact, I seriously wanted to make Haruhi wait for me. I'm crazy for doing such a thing, but I wanted to see her reaction. Don't ask why.

I sighed to myself as my feet trample along the sidewalk. It's not like I'll be able to stop thinking about this idiot anytime soon. Haruhi kept taking over my thoughts at the worst times, and it's driving me nuts!

Don't tell me…that I'm actually missing my relationship with Haruhi. That wouldn't make any sense if you ask me. Why would I miss a relationship that wasn't really even there in the first place? Why would I miss the constant orders and the fact that I was being treated like some sort of love slave?

Of course, all those things weren't actually completely under our Brigade Chief's control. But the matter of the Antithesis and the insanity it put us all through is something I'd really like to forget. I don't want to be reminded of that fiasco one bit.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?!"

Haruhi's voice sounded obviously mad, and there was no doubt that I knew something like this would happen. Apparently, I had been in thought during my entire walk, and it had actually gone much faster than expected. Funny how the world works against you like that.

There was no time to register Haruhi's movements. All I could feel was one hand fiercely grabbing me by the collar. While the rest of the Brigade stood behind her, Haruhi glared at me with a fiery rage in her eyes. I kept my composure, and glared back at Haruhi. Something about our current situation could not help but remind me of my earlier days knowing her.

"Are you trying to play some kind of joke, Kyon? Do you know that you're ten minutes late?"

"Last time I checked my watch…yes."

I smiled deviously. This seemed to only make Haruhi's expression worse, and I could feel her grip on my collar tighten. In fact, she was pulling me closer, and I could feel her breath right on my nose. I wondered if Haruhi had her other fist clenched, and in any second, she could punch me in the face.

"What are you trying to do? Do you want to ruin the Brigade?"

"What am I trying to do? I'm not the one who's acting like a fascist dictator. You make it sound like it's going to be the end of the world if I'm ten minutes late for whatever you're forcing us to do."

"It is the end of the world, you idiot!" Haruhi screamed in my face, baring her teeth like an angered jaguar.

"Why do I even bother with your stupidity? I've got so many better things to do then to be around you and your idiocy!" I shouted back, as my anger level was beginning to rise at this point. Let's hope it doesn't get to the level of white-hot rage. Eh, I have a feeling Haruhi will punch me out before it gets that intense.

"Then you don't have to come with us! It's not like I need dead weight for the boat anyway, because that's all you ever end up being!"

My expression contorted, and I felt myself becoming more and more pissed off at the brown-haired girl in front of me with each passing second. Sometimes, I really don't know why this girl is even a friend of mine. When you really get down to it, she's just a nasty human being who uses everyone else to gain her own ends!

"E-Excuse me…"

Both I and Haruhi turned to face Asahina-san, who had somehow found the courage to try and approach us even though we were loudly arguing. Behind the red-haired time traveler, Koizumi had his hands in his pockets, looking off into the distance out of boredom. Nagato stared blankly ahead, showing no signs of movement. I grimaced at the sight of Koizumi's utter ignorance of the situation, but I let myself cool down a bit to hear out what Asahina-san had to say. Her words were always worth listening to in my eyes.

"Can we please just be nice to each other? I mean…we should all be having fun on this summer break…and it wouldn't be fun without Kyon-kun…"

The time traveler in front of us was obviously nervous as hell, because she stared at her feet while speaking, not wanting to show us her face. There was a relative silence between myself and Haruhi now. I didn't look back on her, but judging by her silence, I kind of understood that perhaps she was thinking about what Asahina-san was saying.

"I don't know if I'd be able to stand coming along, Asahina-san…" I said in a sorrowful voice, as my soul cracked from having to tell this sweet girl such a thing. Haruhi remained silent, while Mikuru seemed to tense up. Damn. I should not have said that…

"Please…" she said quietly, with a slight sniffle in her voice. I couldn't go on much farther at this point. The breaking point had been reached.

I sighed to myself as I clambered aboard the spacious boat. As you might have all guessed, Asahina-san's crying had done more than enough to convince me in tagging along with the rest of the SOS Brigade. Frankly, I was actually close to not going, because I knew full well that being with Haruhi for extended periods of time is usually detrimental to my mental health. Unfortunately, Asahina-san's pleas managed to pull me like a salmon caught on a hook.

This then brings me to just what Haruhi had planned for us for the next two days. Apparently, Tsuruya-san had enjoyed us spending the night at her mansion so much that when Haruhi asked her is she could borrow her family's large and expensive fishing boat, the green-haired girl said yes without second thought. With this boat now in her possession, Haruhi explained to all of us (mostly me), what we were exactly going to be doing for the next two days.

"We're going on a two-day boat trip because I need some time to cool off and relax. You're all coming along because you're part of the Brigade, even though you were this close to being denied, Kyon. This trip is going to be just fun and relaxation, and nothing more. Consider it a reward for all the community service we've accomplished these last few days!" Haruhi had told us while we listened in the crowded train car on our way to the local harbor.

I would certainly be lying if I said I wasn't surprised at the way Haruhi was speaking to us. The fact that she's rewarding us in a sensible way for our hard work was surprising enough, because I remember that that one time that we were forced to do labor for her, and the only reward was a giant frog costume for Asahina-san to wear.

And so, I wondered what was in store for us as I watched the rest of the Brigade get comfortable on this large boat. For one thing, I had no idea who was going to drive, since I knew that I certainly wasn't cut out for that sort of thing. On top of that, I had a bad feeling that being around Haruhi like this for the next two days wasn't going to turn out too well. It's really bad enough that she's on my mind more than I want her to be, so you can't blame me for being nervous about all these upcoming events.

Once we all got situated on the boat, Haruhi decided to announce our plans. As it was only midday, we still had plenty of time ahead of us for whatever "fun" she had planned. It was decided (more like we were told by Haruhi), that we would be heading out a few kilometers out into the sea, where we would just relax, swim and possibly even go fishing. This boat of Tsuruya-san's was large and well-supplied with food, comfortable beds, and even a nice flushing toilet. Clearly, it was really some sort of mini-vacation. Knowing facts like these were certainly helping me to relax.

"So once we get out there, it'll pretty much be free time for all of you. Do whatever you want, as long as you don't bother me. Koizumi brought some of his fishing stuff, so hopefully we can catch ourselves a big plesiosaurus or something. And none of you are allowed to go anywhere without my permission! The last thing I need is to lose Brigade members to sea monsters because of their own stupidity."

As you could obviously tell, Haruhi took the utmost care to inform us all of the nature of our excursion. It all sounded a bit boring to me actually. It's not that I don't like to swim or anything. I just might get sick of it after awhile, unlike Haruhi or Mikuru. Plus, I really didn't know what lived in these waters, and call me a coward, but I'd rather not take the chance. With Haruhi around, there's the possibility that some undersea monstrosity could swallow me whole if she happened to get annoyed or something.

But all that aside, I know that eventually I'll just get bored on this boat, and unfortunately, it has no life boats whatsoever.

Unsurprisingly, the problem of not having someone to drive the boat in question was solved in a heart beat by none other than Nagato.

Apparently, the human interface was easily able to convince Haruhi that she had "previous experience" in handling a boat like this. I'm no idiot, so I knew it probably took the alien only a few seconds to analyze the boat and figure out exactly how it worked. With Nagato now silently driving, I watched wakes form around it as we began to leave the harbor behind us. I'm still partially reeling over how Haruhi was able to get all this to work out in the first place.

The sun is bright in the sky, burning my eyes every time I have the notion to look up. This is truly a hot summer, and my clothes stick to me from sweat. The sea breeze is cool enough, but I still can't help but feel hot nonetheless.

"Look more alive! We're out here to have fun you know!" Haruhi said behind me, giving me a hard pat on the back and abruptly breaking my train of thought.

"I certainly hope so. As long as nothing kills us out there…" I replied, saying the last part under my breath.

"What was that, Kyon?"

I looked back at Haruhi, pondering over the sight of her surprisingly innocent expression. In the back of my mind, I felt some sort of sadness. It's like looking at Haruhi was hurting the fabric of my very soul. I've tried time and time again to ignore it, but nothing seems to work. I turned around, a melancholic expression on my face as I sighed before I answered her.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

If I had to describe the next few hours in a nut shell, it would be easy to say that it was certainly easy on the eyes. After Nagato efficiently brought us out about 8 kilometers from shore, we could pretty much see nothing but the sea around our boat. Once that happened, Haruhi proceeded to go into the lower cabins of the boat and change, and Mikuru followed. I think what surprised me most was the fact that I didn't hear our Brigade Chief forcing herself upon Asahina-san like she usually would. It could have just been that they were changing where we probably wouldn't hear them, but it still kept me wondering just a little bit.

After a little while, Haruhi and Mikuru both came out, with Haruhi in a red and black bikini and Mikuru in her usual pink and frilly one-piece. Of course, both women were candy to the eyes, and it's really hard not to stare at them. Unfortunately, I didn't have much staring time at all, since they both proceeded to get into the water as soon as possible. Well, it was more like Haruhi just kind of pushed Asahina-san in, and while the girl was kicking and screaming down below, Haruhi dove in after her. If they had not both been wearing life vests, I'm sure Asahina-san would have drowned by now.

It's great how much Haruhi cares about the well-being of her Brigade members, don't you think?

After an hour of them swimming, Haruhi got bored, and decided that she wanted to try her hand on fishing. Like she had mentioned a while before, stupid Koizumi had just so happened to bring all of his fishing poles and equipment. I personally think he stole them or something, because he really doesn't strike me as a fisherman at all. Koizumi just mentioned something about his colleagues lending them to him. Either way, I found myself sitting right next to Haruhi, lazily holding onto the fishing pole in my hands as I looked up into the cloudy sky with boredom written all over my face.

"Where are all the fish?" Haruhi asked in an annoyed tone as she tugged on her fishing rod. I obviously wasn't one to answer her question, but I kind of couldn't help it anyway.

"Maybe they ran off because they were afraid of being forced to join the Brigade."

I probably should have said, "Fishing is a sport of virtue and patience, Haruhi. You need to learn how to wait, or you'll never be good at it." That would have been a more productive answer.

"Very funny, Kyon. You ought to be more thankful. It's not like I don't do a million favors for you."

What? What the hell are you talking about Haruhi? You? Doing favors for me? Are you trying to make a joke by saying that?

I groaned, trying to ignore her. I had a feeling we weren't going to be catching many fish today.

And I was right. We didn't catch anything in the entire two hours that we spent holding our fishing rods. Nagato had just been watching us the whole time like we were some sort of science experiment, and it was kind of unnerving to tell the truth. She could have easily caused all the fish to come our way, but I assume there was a good reason why she didn't. Frankly, I was glad Haruhi didn't get annoyed enough to cause a shark or something equally dangerous to bite my hook. The last thing I need is a watery grave.

And so, the rest of the day was relatively uneventful. We pretty much ended up being lazy and tanning ourselves to death in the sun, and the only exciting thing all day was the abnormally large wake that caused our boat to shift it's weight over quite a bit. It was like a really big wave, and although I initially didn't think about it, I could only wonder later what the hell could have caused such a massive wake. It was big enough to capsize a small motorboat, and from what we had seen, it had obviously originated from far away. Maybe it's nothing. I really hope so.

And now it had become night time, and I still held the same fishing rod in my hand. Koizumi sat right next to me, while Haruhi and Mikuru had gone off to God knows where. Hopefully they weren't swimming, because I'd hate to hear Haruhi's whining if I happened to catch her bathing suit top in my fishing hook. Not a bad thought actually…

"This is turning out to be quite a pleasant trip. Suzumiya-san seems to be trying her best to keep herself occupied."

I looked at Koizumi like he had a massive bug on his face. He's always one to state out the obvious.

"Keeping herself occupied usually means I have to suffer in some way. I don't see where the pleasantness is."

Koizumi had originally been wearing a smile on his face, but it quickly disappeared after he heard me say this. He narrowed his eyes as he spoke in a serious tone.

"You're still be bothered by it, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just sick of it all. And I don't really like fishing or swimming in unknown waters."

"I doubt that fishing or what's underneath the ocean's surface is what's bothering you. It seems to have something to do with Suzumiya-san. You haven't gotten over her completely, have you?"

That was the question I didn't want the esper to ask me. I looked back at him, then back at the sea ahead of us. My fishing pole had not moved an inch the entire day. I remained silent, a melancholic expression pasted on my face.

"I just hope Suzumiya-san stabilizes. It could be a problem if she doesn't." Koizumi commented, and then he looked back at the sea ahead.

"Stabilizes?" I asked him quietly, suddenly becoming a little interested. It's only because Koizumi is making it sound like something remains to be wrong with Haruhi however.

"You've seen her changing personality. She's becoming..less charming as time goes on. Anyone would be able to see how much of a problem it will become if it's not taken care of in due time."

Right, Koizumi! She's lost all her charm already, you bastard! Damn! I still can't believe how much of a Haruhi kissass this guy can be sometimes.

"There's not much we can do. Just let her do her thing and hopefully she'll just get over it. I don't see why it's my problems when it's not affecting me. If you're so adamant about it all, maybe you should go and spend all your time with her. It's not like I want to."

Koizumi smiled again in response to this. I raised an eyebrow, because I really didn't think anything amusing had been said.

"An interesting idea, but I doubt it would work. Besides, it would only cause her unnecessary emotional confusion, not to mention making you even more stressed than you already are, Kyon-kun."

I looked back at Koizumi, glaring at him and his stupid smiling face.

"Like I even care. Go do whatever you want. I just want to be left alone for awhile."

With that, I decided that my talk with Koizumi was officially over. The moon was full tonight, but I figured I'd rather go to sleep than sit out there and have to listen to him some more.

As I headed towards the cabins of the boat, I stopped for a moment. Someone must had been just in front of the entrance to the lower cabins, because I heard quick footsteps signifying them running off after I suddenly came their way.

They'd been listening to our conversation no doubt. They'd been watching us both no doubt.

My eyes now beginning to tire, I continued on, trying to ignore what I thought I might have heard. It was only when I stepped on something and looked down to see what it was did I have a terrible realization.

There underneath my foot was an orange headband. It was Haruhi's headband of course, and it meant that she had no doubt been standing in this very spot, eavesdropping on the conversation between Koizumi and I. I picked up, suddenly beginning to get worried.

She had dropped it while running off.

My mind began to race. What exactly did Haruhi hear us say? Did she hear us talking about her? My heart started pounding, and worry wrapped around my soul like a black snake of death.

Holding her orange headband in my hand, I knew full well that a storm was well on its way. Be it metaphorical or not, it still worried me more than enough. I wouldn't be surprised if I develop a high-blood pressure problem in my later years, just from all the stress this girl gives me. With nothing to say, even in my mind, I simply sighed to myself in slight regret.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I decided to get the next chapter up quickly since I made you guys wait so long before. Plus, I'm really amazed by the amount of reviews I've been getting. The fact that you guys seem to really like this story makes me want to write even more. Thanks a bunch, and enjoy this new chapter! With a cameo by someone very....famous. :)**

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It's strange. It's like something was sitting in the pit of my stomach, shouting out to me that I shouldn't believe what had just happened. Something was telling me that Haruhi was in fact not eavesdropping on us. But in the back of my mind, I knew all too well that she had been. And it's not like I didn't have definitive proof that she had done it. The proof was safely in my right hand.

I clenched me teeth in nervousness. Haruhi had indeed run off, and she had left her orange hair band on the floor while doing so. Looking at all aspects of the situation in front of me, I realized that multiple options lay before me.

The first option was to follow Haruhi and question her about what she thought she might have heard. This seemed like the most sensible and rational option, but it came with an obvious downside. Knowing Haruhi Suzumiya, it would probably be excruciating difficult. It would be like trying to open a giant oyster shell with one's bare hands. It would be a very arduous task that I'd rather not undertake.

The second option was a bit easier. I could drop Haruhi's headband and leave the scene, effectively ignoring the fact she had been eavesdropping on the conversation between me and Koizumi. That option was no doubt the easiest, but it probably wasn't the smartest.

Finally, the third option was simple and painless. I'd just go find Haruhi, return her orange headband, and go back about my business. It involved no discussion, interrogation or questioning of any kind.

These were the three options I could choose from. Well that's not really true. In hindsight, there was actually a fourth, more daring option.

So with these things on my mind, I walked slowly to Haruhi's and Asahina-san's cabin, holding the orange hair band in one hand, my muscles suddenly feeling tense. The door was ajar, and I walked inside, finding my Brigade Chief sitting on her bed, looking up at me like I was some sort of ghost.

I felt nervous at first. Haruhi seemed like she had been doing nothing this entire time, but it was easy to see that she hadn't really been in this room until now. Perhaps it's because the door was wide open.

"You still up?" I said in a quiet voice, sounding slightly unsure.

"Yeah. I had trouble falling asleep."

I was a bit surprised. Haruhi sounded sincere in what she said. Was I really going to come here and scold her? No, because I didn't think I could do it anyway. Beside Haruhi, on the other side of her bed, I could hear the sound of someone softly breathing. It was Asahina-san, who sounded like a sleeping angel.

"You dropped your hair band outside." I told her, putting out the orange object for her to take. Instinctively, Haruhi looked at the object like it was some sort of demonic relic. It was almost as if she was feeling guilty for even considering taking the hair band. Even so, I watched her reluctantly take it from my hand, and our fingers touched for a moment. Her skin felt delicate and warm. Somehow, the feeling almost made me shiver.

"Thanks." She said, looking up at me, her face looking almost sad, or perhaps distraught.

I looked down, and surprisingly, Haruhi looked up. For those moments, we were caught in each others gaze, and it was at this time when I was reminded of the feeling the still remained locked in my heart. It was that throbbing feeling that I had always had whenever I was around Haruhi. And the more I stared back at our Brigade Chief, the stronger the feeling got. Finally, I could hold back no longer.

Without second thought, I took Haruhi in my arms, and gave her the most passionate kiss I could muster. She gave a yelp of surprise and struggled at first, but slowly, I could feel her relax in my embrace. We kissed even as I held her in my arms and the both of us sank down into the covers of her bed.

With Asahina-san sleeping right next to us, I took Haruhi's virginity right then and there, and all my problems were solved in a heart beat.

And if you believed for a million years that I would do any of that, then not only are you an absolute moron, but you're also a sick-minded individual who needs serious medical assistance. We all know by now that I definitely don't have the will or the spine to do any of those things.

Instead, the situation that occurred in reality turned out a little a different. An awkward silence emerged between me and Haruhi, as she put her hair band down on top of a small drawer beside her bed.

I should really say something, shouldn't I? I can't just stand here and clam up. If I let this go, then for all I know, a myriad of problems could emerge from it later. For all I know, Haruhi could cause the end of the world over the contemplation of trying to figure out just what I and Koizumi were speaking about.

"Maybe I should be going. You look tired, so I should let you be."

With that, I readied myself to say good night to Haruhi and leave, but the girl spoke before I could get my words out.

"What do you think of Koizumi-kun, Kyon?"

I raised an eyebrow. What kind of sudden question was that? Perhaps she's trying to figure out what we were talking about, and she had a hunch that it has something to do with Koizumi. It's kind of amazing how she's both so right, and so wrong.

"Well…I don't know. He's alright, I guess." I rubbed the back of my head uncomfortably. All of sudden, I felt like I was being the one getting interrogated. Besides, what do you expect me to say about Koizumi to Haruhi?

Hey Haruhi! Itsuki Koizumi is actually an esper whose job is to eliminate closed spaces which you create almost every day!

But of course I can't say something like that. If I had gotten lucky enough that Haruhi hadn't actually heard much of our conversation, then mentioning anything else might just compromise the situation.

Haruhi grew silent now, as if her voice box had been cut out and she was unable to say anything else. Another few awkward seconds of silence emerged between us, until Haruhi broke it in a quiet whisper.

"I'm going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Kyon."

And with those words, I got the hint that Haruhi probably wanted to be left alone now. I might really never know just what she heard, but it was obvious that she did indeed hear something from our conversation. As I nodded to our Brigade Chief before leaving her room, I hoped that she might easily forget anything we said pertaining directly to her. Unfortunately, I knew in my heart that Haruhi wasn't exactly the most forgetful person in the world.

After that, I didn't know what I could really do next. After having talked to Haruhi, I didn't feel the urge to go to sleep. In fact, I had this very annoying feeling in the pit of my stomach again that probably wouldn't let me go to sleep no matter how hard I tried. I sighed to myself, looking back at the door to Haruhi's cabin, wondering what was going on inside her head.

It was easy to see by now that Koizumi was very right about what he was talking about. Haruhi had begun to change in more ways then one, and you had to be a moron not to see that. I personally think the amazing part about all this was the fact that it was reminding me so much of something that had happened months ago. It was all reminding me of the same fiasco where Haruhi Suzumiya had found herself in love with me.

To anyone, I probably looked very sullen as I wandered out of the lower cabins, hands in my pockets. The image of her orange head band lying on the ground was already branded into my thoughts, and the sight of her from just before wouldn't leave my inner-mind theatre either. My annoyance was already building quickly, as the images of Haruhi made no effort to excuse themselves from the sanctum of my mental thoughts.

So without the urge to fall asleep, I concluded to myself that the only possible thing for me to do was to sit outside on the deck of the boat and wait for myself to fall asleep. The full moon might annoy me the whole time, but it's not like I had any other better options at the moment.

When I walked out on deck, I spotted two figures sitting near the edge of boat, and based on just their postures, I could easily recognize who they were.

Koizumi was sitting cross-legged, and through the moonlight, I could easily see the smile on his face as I approached. Nagato, who had been our boat driver earlier in the day, was sitting down with a static expression on her face, slowly flipping through the pages of another one of her novels. Despite the moonlight that was present tonight, it amazes me how she can read in these lighting conditions nonetheless.

Nagato didn't look up, but Koizumi registered my presence almost instantly, calling out to me in a sly and concise voice.

"Unable to sleep, Kyon-kun?"

I sat down next to Koizumi, my expression indifferent as I looked up at the moon.

"I wouldn't be out here if I could sleep. I guess my prayers to be left alone so I could relax went unanswered. If there are angels, they all hate me by now."

"I doubt that. You don't seem like the religious type."

I looked back at Koizumi, grimacing as I heard him chuckle. I don't see what's so funny. I'm not really in the best mood right now, you esper bastard!

"That's beside the point. I just feel like garbage right now, so I'm not in the mood for your bad jokes."

My gaze turned to the sea. Something about it seemed so much better than being on this boat. The ocean glistened in the moonlight, slowly shifting back and forth, albeit with calm and fluid movements. In boredom, my eyes watched the ocean, and in a few seconds, I could already see hallucinations of Haruhi's face forming up in the waters. I could see her staring at me, crying. I looked away from the waters, suddenly feeling worse.

"Did you manage to convince Suzumiya-san otherwise?"

I glared at Koizumi, wondering where he could have possibly gotten the information about Haruhi eavesdropping on our conversation before. Either he's a master detective, insanely smart, or a mind reader, and sometimes I really can't help but think he's got some sort of mind-reading power.

"I didn't really say much to her. I just went back to her room to give her hair band back. Haruhi didn't really have much to say. She looked kind of confused, maybe guilty."

"I would conclude she is probably very confused. It would be unlikely for Suzumiya-san to believe most of what we were talking about, and that's even going so far as saying that she was able to figure most of it out. I think that she might have heard only what she wanted to hear, and that was enough to get her focused."

Koizumi's hair moved in a slight sea breeze for a moment, as did Nagato's. Something about this scene was serene and calm. Maybe this summer was turning out to be that way. Call me crazy, but I think I'm beginning to miss the more vocal Haruhi.

"Then what the hell is she so focused about?"

Koizumi smiled at me as if I was a circus clown performing a trick. He thinks I'm an idiot, doesn't he?

"You, of course. You're not the only one struggling to get over the relationship between the two of you. It's obvious that Suzumiya-san is having serious trouble accepting that it is over. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she figures out a way to bring you back together. Her powers could certainly allow it."

I crossed my arms, almost pouting. There's no way in hell I'm getting manipulated into doing anything, be it by someone like Haruhi or not. She might force me do things more times than I can remember, but I am not going to be forced back into being her boyfriend without a say.

"Well she can forget about it. I'm sick of being someone else's plaything. She's not getting her way with me, no matter how much of a brat she acts like."

Koizumi eerily laughed again, and I contemplated punching him in the face. I didn't, of course, but there was still contemplation of doing the said action, despite my mind telling me it was a bad idea and stopping me at the last minute.

"If Suzumiya-san really wanted to be with you again, then it would have already been done, whether you want it or not. I assume she has the desire, but perhaps her rational mind is stopping her from just changing reality to suit that desire. While Suzumiya-san is relatively unaware of her powers, we've concluded that she most likely has some sort of indirect control over them. That could be one of the many reasons why this world hasn't been completely remade yet."

I sighed quietly, and wondered if the situation could get any worse. From what I could see, Haruhi was changing, and it probably wasn't for the best. As Koizumi described, it was all because she can't get over this break-up of ours. I was an idiot for thinking that she would get over it so easily. We're only a week into our summer break, and it's obvious that Haruhi still has strong lingering feelings for me. What else should I have expected? Of course someone like her would have trouble giving up on just about anything.

"Anything else?" I asked Koizumi, my expression now becoming melancholic. To tell the truth, this is only making me feel a lot worse. And I bet this esper doesn't care one bit.

"We just need to keep careful watch on Suzumiya-san. With her personality changing this sporadically, there will probably be outward effects on the world as it becomes more severe. Fortunately, the progression of her changing is relatively slow from what I've observed, so we have some time to figure out how to solve the problem."

My mind clicked when I heard Koizumi mention this as being a "problem".

Was there really a problem is Haruhi started acting more like a rational and normal high school girl? Was there really a problem if she suddenly became more aware of other people's needs, and perhaps became more aware of such things as the needs of our local community? I really have no desire to do any community service, but I have to hand it to Haruhi for thinking about other people and their well-being.

And who knows? Maybe if she's more like a normal high school girl, albeit beautiful, I might just be able to stand being around as more than just a lowly Brigade member.

"What do you think of all this?"

My question was quick, and probably caught Koizumi a little off-guard. With him being the one talking this whole time, I figured that I could at least ask him something about himself. Because to be completely honest, I didn't really know all that much about the real Koizumi. The one he claims to be hiding because the personality he shows to the rest of us is supposedly more pleasant. Maybe with the question, I could get a little insight from what he's really thinking.

Koizumi's smile faded a bit, and he looked slightly unsure. This could all be an act, but something told me he probably just didn't expect this kind of question. Next to him, Nagato sat reading her book like a silent accessory to the ship, ignoring everything else around her.

"I'd like to see Suzumiya-san happy and occupied. From what I've seen of her so far, she's certainly not happy. Once we solve this predicament, things will go back to normal, and I'll be content again."

No matter how genuine it might have sounded, I didn't believe Koizumi's answer for one second. It sounded too right and selfless, if you ask me.

I was about to add something witty, but I was abruptly interrupted by Nagato, who did not look up from her book as she uttered a few words.

"You should hold on to something. The displacement of water may possibly relocate you off this vessel."

"What?"

There wasn't anytime to say anything else after that. Behind us, we heard a loud rumbling sound, and then the wave hit.

It was a powerful wave of water that seemed to crash into out boat like it was nothing more than a toy. Listening to Nagato in almost an instant, I held on for my dear life, and water crashed onto the deck like a rolling tide. We all got soaked as the boat rumbled far to its side, and it had tipped over enough that I could slightly feel gravity pulling on me.

My mind continued to panic even as the rumbling stopped, and the boat became balanced on the water again. I coughed a little; having swallowed a bit of seawater after the wave had hit us. While it wasn't that large, it could have certainly knocked some of us overboard. Koizumi was soaked as well, and Nagato, whose clothes were sopping wet, continued to flip through the pages of her book, which were surprisingly dry and untouched.

"What the hell was that?" I said in a loud voice. Immediately, I wondered how long it would be till Haruhi came rushing out of the lower cabins, yelling and screaming on about what woke her up.

Without a word, Nagato pointed at something while still keeping her gaze on her novel. Koizumi was standing now, watching something in front of him. Finally, I did the same, and I think my jaw dropped at that moment.

Some distance away from our ship, I could see something titanic moving through the water. A grouping of towering, dark-gray dorsal fins cut through the water like gigantic razors, creating wakes that caused our boat to rock back and forth. They were comparable to super-sized starfish almost, except that they were obviously attached to something huge. Whatever it was, it swam mostly underneath the water, at a distance from us that made me realize how huge it was. If it got much closer, no doubt our boat would capsize. For a moment, I watched a head surface, staring at our boat with one of its large, almost human-like eyes. It was reptilian, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and a snout that looked suitable on a dragon.

Without thinking, my mind was searching for an answer to what this was. In a few seconds, I was able to recognize it, and I almost couldn't believe it. The creature was famous almost everywhere, and it was swimming some two hundred meters from our boat.

"Am I seeing things? It that…what I think it is?"

"That is real, it seems. To be accurate, it's more of a who then a what. Let us just hope he leaves us alone." Koizumi replied, watching the giant monster with an indifferent expression.

Suddenly, I felt very, very afraid. With a nudge of its tail, this monster could just knock our boat over. It could swallow us whole without second thought. Why did we have to go on this stupid boat trip? Why? I don't want to end my life like this! I don't want to get eaten by some pissed off giant monster!

In fear, I watched the monster look back at us a final time, as if we were nothing but specks in the ocean to it. And compared to its size, we certainly were. After a few more seconds, it sank underneath the water, dorsal fins and all. Finally, it was gone, having retreated back to the ocean depths.

I felt insane for what I saw. I've seen some crazy things with Haruhi, but that definitely takes the cake. I would never expect in a million years to run into…

"What's going on? I want to sleep! Who's causing all the ruckus out there?"

Koizumi and I turned when we heard Haruhi, and watched as she emerged from the entrance to the lower cabins, clad in her yellow pajamas. Her hair was a mess, and she looked very annoyed. I wondered if the ship nearly capsizing had brought her out of a good dream. I also wondered why Asahina-san wasn't with her, unless the time traveler could sleep through just about anything.

"Just some waves nudging the boat around." Koizumi said quickly, with a smile on his face. "You should go get some rest, Suzumiya-san."

I half-expected Haruhi to tell him off, but she actually didn't. In fact, she surprised even me.

"Okay…I guess it's nothing then. See you all in the morning."

And with that, Haruhi went back towards her cabin, leaving me both stunned and confused.

I could do nothing less than give a big sigh at the entire situation.

After the events of that night, coming home sounded exciting. We left relatively early the next day, because Haruhi felt like there wasn't much for us to do if we couldn't catch any fish. She was rational in what she said, because we didn't catch a single fish the next morning either. I think I'll attribute that with our sighting of a certain monster the night before.

And so, we parted back at the harbor, and Haruhi mentioned to us that Tsuruya-san would pick up her boat sometime later today. Walking home was a nice, relaxing breather for me, since my mind was still wrapping around just what exactly I saw. Koizumi had given me no explanation whatsoever so far, and I didn't have the urge to ask Nagato about it. Asahina-san probably wouldn't be able to tell me anything, but I really didn't want to scare her either.

I've seen a lot of the movies. I remember actually believing that somewhere in the ocean, he existed. But when I got older and less juvenile, I stopped believing in any of that. Such a creature sounded too big to go unnoticed. It sounded too big to even be believed.

But I had seen it. It was there. It had stared back at us from the water, with its gaze having an almost human intelligence. I know what I saw. Damn. Now I sound like a conspiracy theorist who believes the United States might have never landed on the moon.

I was lying on my bed as I thought, staring up at the ceiling in boredom. With Haruhi letting us go, there was nothing to really do for the day. Sure, I had summer homework to take care of, but that'll probably remain untouched until a few days before school starts again. I will do it though, no matter what. The last thing I want to do is accidently repeat a week of our break over and over again like last year.

Haruhi. There's no doubt that you played a part in us seeing that monster. But why? For what reason? Does this mean we're going to see a monster attack on Tokyo on the news in a few days? Why would Haruhi want something like that?

I turned, closing my eyes and wishing for sleep. It never came, and I cursed Haruhi under my breath.

My life is becoming an insane asylum at this point. How much worse can it possibly get?

In hindsight, the smart thing is to never ask that question. Because with Haruhi, there's always a good chance that things can get much, much worse.

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**Edit: Making something clear to everyone. What other gray-dorsal finned giant monster can you think that swims and relatively hangs out near Japan? Yes. That was Godzilla.**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here's another chapter coming you're way everyone! I've got a big suprise for you all in the next few days, and I get the feeling I'll reveal it by the next time I post another chapter. Otherwise, enjoy this one!**

**_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ **

The sound of knocking on the front door was audible down the hallway, and it made me sigh as I opened up the door to my room, cursing Haruhi for making me leave the cool comfort of my air-conditioned bedroom.

It's been about a week since our boat trip, and the giant monster sighting that occurred there has still not left my mind. I can assure you it is not very easy for something like that to just leave your thoughts. And if you can prove me wrong, please, be my guest.

The week that passed by was relatively boring, to say the least. In the end, it basically involved me waiting for Haruhi to call and tell me when and where we would be doing our community service for the day. It seemed to me that Haruhi has suddenly gained a sudden interest in doing lots and lots of community service. Instead of cleaning up garbage, however, Haruhi had us taking care of little kids at the local community center instead. While Haruhi had this amazing knack for being nice to little kids, I ended up getting beaten up by them the whole time. I was more worn out this week than ever, not to mention Haruhi wasn't really herself these last few days.

On top of that, there is one other thing I've noticed, and I can't say it hasn't bothered me a little. With Haruhi becoming less vocal and charismatic with each passing day, I also couldn't help but notice that she's beginning to show a sudden…interest in Itsuki Koizumi. Now you may call me paranoid for saying this, but there are subtle things I've witnessed that point straight in that direction. Haruhi seemed to get a kick out of interrogating me for any information she needed on him, even though most of my answers ended up being empty.

Look, I really don't care what she wants from me of Koizumi. To tell the truth, I kind of just want her to leave me alone. It's bad enough that she causes me enough stress on a daily basis, and the last thing I need is more stress from her. Broken up means broken up. I think we (or at least I) made that clear by now.

But for Haruhi, the concept of being separated isn't enough to keep her away from me. And that's why on this Friday afternoon, I'm answering the door, knowing full well that she is on the other side.

"Welcome…" I said with disinterest in my voice, opening the door to reveal Haruhi, Koizumi, Asahina-san and Nagato behind it. Haruhi was easily able to recognize my tone of voice, and she scowled at me.

"You could at least try to sound a little happier. I'm doing you a big favor by coming here to help you finish your summer homework, Kyon."

I groaned. Yeah, Haruhi. I didn't even invite you, idiot! You just decided to plan this without my consent! Don't even make this about you. Because believe it or not, Haruhi, you're always making it about you!

But I shouldn't be complaining too much. The last thing I want is another time loop like last summer. That would just be another pain in the ass.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." I said without revealing most of my internal rant, opening the door so the rest of the Brigade could enter. My parents were gone for the day, having taken my sister with them. Luckily, there was a lot of leftover sushi from a few nights ago sitting in the fridge, so I was prepared enough in the event any of us got hungry.

"You're so ungrateful, Kyon." Haruhi commented as she entered, followed by Asahina-san, who gave me a small smile. Nagato methodically came after her, and than Koizumi brought up the rear, giving me his own usual plastic smile.

"I don't see what's there to smile about."

I closed the door behind me after saying this. Koizumi's expression didn't change, but his tone was serious. Still unhappy from having to do all this in the first place, I felt annoyed hearing his voice.

"You should really be in a better mood. You've finally gotten what you wanted. You're separated from Suzumiya-san now. Isn't this what you've been waiting for?"

I winced upon hearing Koizumi's question. He was so right…and almost wrong too. What the hell did I want? Damn it. I don't really even know. I answered with a partial lie.

"Sort of."

A few minutes later, Koizumi and I arrived to my room and found that Haruhi was already making herself comfortable. She laid back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling in what looked like boredom. Her shoes were off, and Haruhi was wearing clean white socks, despite the fact that today had been disgustingly hot so far. The air conditioning in my room had been cranked to its highest.

Meanwhile, Nagato was sitting in my desk chair, reading a novel in silence. Asahina-san had probably wandered off, because I didn't spot her in my room at all. As Koizumi and I entered, I smiled as a blast of cool air hit me right in the face. The air conditioning was so nice, and the sound of cold air rushing out of it was music to my ears on a hot day like this.

Suddenly, to my horror, the sound stopped. My eyes snapped open, and my gaze darted back and forth until it landed on Haruhi's location. Her hand was right near the switch to toggle my air conditioner's power, and it was now set to off. I reacted a bit impulsively.

"What the hell are you doing!?!" I nearly yelled in panic, my mind slipping at the thought of no longer having an air conditioner to keep me cool. Haruhi turned back and gave me a look that might have signified she obviously knew better then me.

"I'm turning off our main distraction. We're here to finish our summer homework, not to relax. Think about the bigger picture, Kyon. If this remains on, then you'll just space off and never get your work done."

What do you mean I'll space off?!? Are you really an idiot? I'll do it better if the damn air conditioning is on! Dammit! You're just trying to make me suffer now, Haruhi!

Though my blood was already beginning to boil, I couldn't find the will to argue with Haruhi. She wasn't even that firm and vocal about it like she usually was; but even still, I couldn't find it in myself to tell her off. It might have been a mixture of things, but I had a good feeling it something to do with my sort of bad mood.

We all sat down in a big circle on my floor, right after Asahina-san returned, telling us that she really needed to use the bathroom before we got started on our summer homework. The television in my room was off, unlike the last time we did something like this. Last time, Haruhi ended up just playing video games with my sister the whole time, and we were all left to get our work done without her help.

But this time, Haruhi actually seemed interested in doing work. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had procrastinated on their summer homework. The rest of the Brigade, save for Nagato, unsurprisingly, had not even touched any of their work for the summer. I felt a little relieved not being the only one who hadn't taken care of his homework.

And so, we got along to doing our homework, all of us writing furiously as we tackled math problems, history questions, and even filled in the bunch of vocabulary sheets for our English language classes. I could already feel the beads of sweat coming off my forehead, and dripping onto the paper that I was writing on. One of my sevens in the equation I was doing suddenly became soaked, and I grunted in annoyance at the fact Haruhi was being insane enough to turn the air conditioning off on us.

As we continued to do our work, I couldn't help but notice something. What was that something? Well, it was Haruhi, and just how much attention she was suddenly giving to Koizumi and his "homework".

"No, no, no. Listen here, Kozumi-kun. You can't just solve a log problem like that. Let me show you how it's done correctly…" Haruhi told Koizumi as she literally leaned over him and began writing on his worksheet, her tongue sticking out as she began to write like she was drawing with a crayon. It would have been cute to watch, if I didn't have this sudden feeling in my stomach that I didn't like at all.

"I see, Suzumiya-san. What a silly error on my part. Thank you for your assistance." Koizumi said to Haruhi with a smile, and surprisingly, our Brigade Chief actually smiled back.

"Not a problem. You've got a nice smile, Koizumi-kun. I wonder why I never noticed it before."

At this point, the writing on the worksheet in my hand had turned into scribbles; mostly because I was too busy noticing what was going on between Haruhi and Koizumi. What was this feeling? Was it jealousy? Why would I be jealous of them? I wanted to be away from Haruhi. We're over. Finished. Done. Separated. Why the hell should I care that she's practically hitting on Koizumi in front of me?

"Thank you, Suzumiya-san. Your compliments are very fla-"

"I thought we were supposed to be doing our homework here?" I said in a nasty tone, unaware of how my words were coming out. Haruhi and Koizumi both looked at me, Haruhi with a look of surprise, and Koizumi with his usual smiling expression. Asahina-san whimpered quietly in reaction to my obvious irritation while trying to fill in multiple choice bubbles for her history homework at the same time. Nagato said nothing as usual, continuing to read her novel behind us like a silent background accessory.

"You shouldn't interrupt people, Kyon. It's very rude." Haruhi shot back at me, her face now discontent. I didn't have a smile on my face, for all it's worth. I was certainly not a happy camper at the moment.

"Well while you're all getting distracted, I'm here trying to finish my work. Or was it not you that suggested we all get it done at my house, in my room?"

The annoyance in my voice was easily apparent right now, and I could already feel the aura of a scared Asahina-san. Koizumi continued to smile, while Haruhi looked simply dumbstruck that I would even use such a tone of voice with her.

"You're being a real jerk right now, Kyon."

To my own surprise, I went silent after hearing such a thing from her. Look, I've gotten plenty of insults from her. I've been called many things by our Brigade Chief, but for some reason, those words seemed to actually hurt. The way she said it, the way she conveyed it with her facial expression…it sounded like she actually meant it. And to me, that was something to almost sulk over. I feigned ignorance, deciding to just shut up and finish my homework. Haruhi just had to make my mood worse, didn't she?

"It's alright, Suzumiya-san. All Kyon-kun is doing it trying to help. He is right. We do have to get this work done."

Koizumi's comment didn't make me feel any better, and I made a grimace as I continued to fill in vocabulary words for English class. It seemed that Haruhi's words were banging around my thoughts now, and it felt like I was being mentally tortured. I don't know what kind of face I was showing to everyone else, but frankly, I kind of stopped caring at this point. My fluctuating emotions were taking their toll on me, and more beads of sweat came down my face as my stress level just climbed higher and higher.

I felt the pencil slip out my hand, and my forehead felt like it was being fried. How Haruhi could survive in this unbearable heat, I don't know, but I did know that I wouldn't be able to do the same.

"Kyon-kun….you look kind of sick…" Asahina-san said in a soft and scared voice, her attention away from the work she had just been doing. I didn't look up to see if Haruhi cared that I was heating up like this, but I didn't want to see her face anyway. I stood up almost immediately.

"I need some air. Just don't destroy my room for the five minutes I'm gone."

I didn't really get to see the expressions of those around me, as I exited my room without even giving them as much as a glance. Not much to my surprise, the hallway outside of my room was a lot cooler, and I felt a slight tinge of relief at the fact that I had escaped the hellhole that was my room for the time being.

Cold water hit my face, and the sensation made me feel like it had come straight from the Fountain of Youth. Mentally, I felt like the cold was washing away hot, burning feelings of desire from the back of my confused and conflicted brain. My face felt better the more I splashed water on it. Being out of that room was helping me for the time being.

Out of everyone in the universe, why did it have to be Haruhi?

It had been awhile since I've asked that question to myself. Why Haruhi? The answer was never clear, and never easy. Why was I attracted to the one girl who I shouldn't be attracted to? Why did I fall for the same girl who pretty much figured it was her job to be my overlord?

Why was I even going over stuff like this again? It's a waste of time. I already knew that such questions can never be answered by me. In fact, they had no answer. As unrealistic as it sounded, it's the most realistic way of explaining it. Asking me why I fell for Haruhi Suzumiya all those months ago was like asking what came before the universe, or where we could find proof of a "one true God". It's a question that would remain lost to all those who seek it.

I splashed more cold water on my face. The sensation was nice enough, but to tell the truth, it wasn't really washing my thoughts of Haruhi away. It was more of a temporary pleasure, as it allowed me to not think about her for only a small amount of time. When you got down to it, I was still as stressed as ever.

"It is quite the hot day, is it not?"

Only one person I knew would ask such a question when you're practically burning up. I stopped splashing water on my face, my back turned to the speaker. A discontented expression formed on my face, unseen by the esper behind me.

"Way to go pointing out the obvious. Thanks to Haruhi, I nearly suffered heatstroke back there." I replied, turning off the running faucet. My Fountain of Youth had been suddenly stopped; because I knew that it wouldn't be as relaxing to splash water on my face if I had to listen to Koizumi while doing it.

Koizumi chuckled again. It was by far the most ear-piercing sound I could have heard at this time, and it took the maximum willpower and effort for me not to turn around and sock Koizumi right in the nose. It was like he was trying to be slick and annoying on purpose. It was like he was mocking me.

"Well, I believe she's just looking out for you. You heard her. She believes you'll be distracted if the room is comfortable. All Suzumiya-san really wants is for us all to finish our summer homework so we can enjoy ourselves before the school year starts again."

When I thought about it, I finally realized that there was only one year of high school left after this year comes to a close. After that, I'd be going to college, where I'd have to learn something that would eventually lead me to a full-time career, and more importantly, an actual life on my own.

Time seemed to be going so fast. It was like yesterday that Haruhi was just starting the SOS Brigade. I can still clearly remember the expression on her face that day. I can almost feel the tugging on my neck when she forced me to help her make the club that fateful day…

Somehow, that almost made me smile. The keyword is almost, of course.

"These days, I really don't know what that girl believes. I just want her to leave me alone. She can change however she wants, as long as she doesn't drag me into the mess."

God, what a truth right there. All this time, Haruhi has in fact dragged me into whatever mess she's gotten herself in. She's always been involving me, and after awhile, it just became a part of my daily routine. Such things should scare me when I think about them, but due to their regularity in my life these days, they didn't.

After my comment, Koizumi didn't seem to have much more to say, and I guessed that it was probably due to the fact he knew I wasn't in much of a mood to talk right now. My facial expression and the tone of my voice were clear proof of that.

When we returned to my room, we were both greeted by a blast of cold air that seemed like it was sent from heaven. Apparently, Haruhi had decided that the room was in fact getting too hot, and she had taken the liberty to turn the air conditioning back on.

Haruhi was turning the television of my room on as the two of us entered, partially fanning herself with a folder as she did so. Serves her right to be burning up. I don't know what's going through her head, but why she would turn off the air conditioning on a day like this is beyond me.

"Done with our work, I assume?" Koizumi asked with a smile.

"For now we are. I think we need a little break anyway." Haruhi responded while manually changing the channels on my television. To tell the truth, the remote to the thing was probably hopelessly lost somewhere in this room, never to be touched by human hands again.

Almost immediately, Haruhi found the news channel, and decided to sit back on my bed as the news anchor began to speak. Everyone seemed to watch the television at once, even myself. I guess it was more interesting than summer homework, at least.

"….reports of sightings all across the coast. Witnesses say that the creature was of titanic proportions, and it had some sort of gigantic gray dorsal fins on its back. All witnesses seem to lack any definite evidence of this creature's existence, and as of yet, the sightings are concluded to most likely be large whales. Witnesses say that the creature has a striking resemblance to the fictional kaiju Godzilla, but as said before, these reports are most likely false. In other news…"

Are you kidding me?

"What is this? That sounds completely ridiculous." Haruhi commented first, narrowing her eyes in disbelief.

I raised an eyebrow. What did you say, Haruhi? Am I hearing right? Suddenly, my mood went from annoyed to worry. That did not sound anything like the Haruhi I know.

"You heard me, Kyon. That sounds completely ridiculous. People saying they saw a movie monster? I mean really! That sounds like the stupidest thing I've heard in a long time."

And you know what? I completely agree with you, Haruhi. At least, I would if I hadn't seen the damn monster with my own eyes! This is insane! Why won't it just disappear already?!? Oh right! Because you're keeping it here, Haruhi!

"And I'm not in the mood to listen to other people's conspiracy theories anyway. Let's see what else is on." Haruhi said before changing the channel without asking, stopping her channel surfing when a sudden ad flashing on the television caught her eye.

We didn't really have time to read it before Haruhi thrust a hand in my direction, rummaging into my pocket without even asking. I was too stunned that she would do such a thing to even find the will to protest, and I just watched her as she pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number on the TV screen. What amazes me the most, is that even as she was pulling out my cell phone from my pocket, she already had hers up to her other ear, waiting for someone to pick up.

When I finally got around to reading the TV ad before it disappeared, I found out that the contest was for whoever ends up being randomly chosen as the winning caller. It said you'd win five tickets to some concert if you were lucky enough to get picked…

"Hello? I'm calling about the tickets! Did I win them?"

Now that sounded like Haruhi. The same Haruhi who would probably wring the operator's neck if they told her she wasn't the winner. Perhaps I should move away from her a bit. I get the feeling she might not have won…

"I did?!? Yes! Oh, my name's Haruhi Suzumiya. That's right. So where do I get them? Really? It's that easy? Thanks!"

And with those super fast words, Haruhi closed my phone, a smile on her face that looked like it had the power to light up an underground cavern. She handed my phone back to me, and I could already feel the rising excitement even before we began to speak. Haruhi stood up, hands pumping up and down as she made an announcement to all of us.

"Attention! We've won the free tickets to a concert tomorrow night! The operator said all I need to do is get them from the ticket box before the concert starts. He was kind of surprised too. He said I was the only one who called at all."

I had the urge to face palm, but I stopped myself. Of course you were going to be the only one, Haruhi. No doubt you probably used your powers and made sure that no one else's calls made it in. In essence, you cheated, Haruhi.

"Where's this concert going to be? And while I'm asking, do you even know what band is playing at this concert?" I asked, a little interested, and still a little stressed. The nice cool air was calming me down a little bit though.

"The ad said it was some band called The Crescendolls, I think. Don't ask me who they are. I've never heard of them. And it's in the stadium all the way downtown. It should be easy enough for us to make it tomorrow. I'll make sure we get up early if we have to!"

And as usual, Haruhi had everything planned out in her head before we even knew what we're doing. Frankly, I didn't even know if I was going to like this band. With a name like that, it doesn't sound too much like music I'd like. Either way, I was still going to be forced into going, and free tickets were free tickets, I guessed. What luck that Haruhi just happened to turn on that channel at the exact time. I would have personally liked to know more about those giant monster sightings…

I felt like sighing, but I realized the energy wasn't in me today. Even with Haruhi in such a good mood all of a sudden, I still felt terrible. Nothing seemed to be going right lately. And guess whose fault it was?

For once, I had no idea. It could be mine, it could be Haruhi's, and hell, it could be Koizumi's. I just hated feeling like this. Let's just hope this concert tomorrow was good enough to at least make me forget about all my problems for a little while...

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**If you're a Daft Punk fan or a hardcore anime fan in general, you may very well get the reference at the end of this chapter. If not, then you'll just have to wait and see what comes along in the next one. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, here's the next chapter, guys! I really hope you enjoy the big references in this. In addition, I'm informing you all of my big suprise from before.**

**Go on Youtube, and search The Attraction of Haruhi Suzumiya. There you will find a video with my story's name on it, from That Dude In The Shade's series, Fandom Paradise. **

**I would definitely watch that video. In short, someone recognized Attraction and the rest of the fics as something good. I was beyond psyched by this, as the person in question did a phenomenal job in reviewing The Attraction of Haruhi Suzumiya. After watching that so man****y times, I keep telling myself that all this writing really is worth it. Anyway, enjoy this chapter everyone. With college coming up this Thursday, I'm giving myself a week's break to get settled and everything. Till then, enjoy! **

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These days, Haruhi seemed to be acting like more of a concentrated storm than like the raging tornado she usually was. And with this concert coming up, it seemed like she was even more out of character and all the more controlling. And for her, two things like that is a bad combination.

It all started on the morning of the next day. I had initially hoped that she wouldn't be waking me up like she had mentioned, and that I'd actually get some of the sleep I deserved. These wishes were really hopeless when you got down to it, especially considering Haruhi's usual tenacity. And surprisingly, her recently changing personality might have made her less vocal and nasty, but it made her all the more governmental. It was like a hidden part of her was almost being released from inside...

I hated getting up on a morning like this, but the sound of my phone thrust me awake. Who else would call me on such a morning? Of course, it would be only Haruhi.

The boring and repetitive details of what Haruhi said to me over the phone were all the usual, minus the part where she usually talks with the pace of a hyena pumped on energy drinks.

"Good. You're up. Do you know how many times I've called you? You're really one lazy guy, Kyon. I think an atom bomb could go off in your backyard, and you still wouldn't wake up from hearing the blast."

Of course, Haruhi. Because that completely fits within the boundaries of reality. I sighed, but I got the feeling that she heard me do that on the other line.

"I want you at the station within the next hour, Kyon. The concert's supposed to start around four o'clock, and it's already late enough in the morning. The last thing is we need is to be late because you decided to oversleep."

I face palmed, wondering why I had agreed to go to this concert in the first place. As I had said before, free tickets were free tickets, but even stll, the idea of being anywhere with Haruhi was starting to stress me out more than usual.

"Fine."

"Don't sound so glum. It's not like you have anything to be worried about. Anyway, you better be on time. Because if you're late, then you'll be taking that job opening at the community center next week, whether you like it or not. And I don't think you want to be taking care of toddlers all by yourself!"

I could have easily given Haruhi a response and it if I did, it probably would have been one full of sarcasm and disinterest. But I said nothing, because to tell the truth, I didn't really have the energy to tell Haruhi off. Ever since yesterday, I've felt very depressed, I might have said. The mixture of stress and annoyance have come together and formed some sort of melancholic depression for me. I can't even find the power in myself to challenge Haruhi.

On the other line, Haruhi hung up without even saying goodbye. I didn't even sigh, because if felt like it would be a useless act at this point. Sighing gets me nowhere these days, and it only reminds me more of the problems I'm dealing with on a daily basis.

I checked the time on my phone, narrowing my eyes. Despite what Haruhi said, it was only ten, and we had more than enough time to arrive at the concert before it started. I wondered how many people were going to be going to this concert. And to tell the truth, there were some peculiar things I noticed the other night, after Haruhi and the others finally decided to leave.

Last night, my parents had been out, and in my bored state, I decided to use the computer in the den. I had nothing to do, or more like, nothing I wanted to do. Rest assured, however, as I wasn't using the computer to do anything X-rated.

No, I decided to look up the details on this upcoming concert. At that point in the day, I had already forgotten the name of the band we were going to see, and to tell the truth, I had become melancholic enough that I had decided looking them up would be an interesting thing to do with my time.

Apparently, the band's name was the Crescendolls, and they were marketing themselves as a house/electronica group. The site I went on wasn't really their's per se, but the site of whatever sponsor was allowing them to play at the stadium.

There was very little described about them. The four band members didn't even have pictures of themselves up on this website, nor could one find out any information about them besides what instruments they played. In fact, even their names were nowhere to be found for god sakes!

Besides that, there was really little besides the time of the concert and where to get tickets on this site. In fact, the sponsor was kind of mysterious as well. There were a lot of weird symbols that I could not recognize at all adorned all over the website, plus the fact that there seemed to be no way to contact the sponsor about this whole thing. I couldn't help but get a little worried about this, mostly because I wondered how angry Haruhi would be if she found out this was all actually a scam.

In the end, I got bored and eventually decided going to sleep was a better idea.

And now, coming back to Saturday morning, I found myself checking my watch, and walking along as I headed towards the station, where Haruhi and the rest of her merry friends waited. Not that I was very merry right now. In fact, I was far from it.

Goddamn her. This really is all Haruhi's fault. Everything seemed to just be falling apart these days, at least when Haruhi's involved. Why couldn't she have been nicer to me? Why did she have to act like such a nasty human being when we were actually dating? All she had to do was control her temper and her urge to control people, and we would still be together.

No. I didn't want to think about that. I didn't want to think about any of it. To be completely honest, I wouldn't have minded just forgetting about Haruhi entirely. I wouldn't have minded just making a whole new group of friends, and I certainly wouldn't mind just leaving the SOS Brigade either. Haruhi was the last person in the world that I want to spend any time with, and unfortunately, Koizumi didn't make any of this easier.

I mentally groaned when Koizumi's face entered my thoughts. This could have been some kind of plot of his. For all I knew, he could be laughing to himself, and maybe he wants Haruhi all for himself. It's not like he didn't treat her like God already. What's the next step for him? Having her put him on a leash so he could so her bidding even more so, probably.

Damn it. Now I was overreacting. It's funny how no one even gives a damn about all these things. I was the only one talking, and it's to me, in the recesses of my thoughts. For all I know, Haruhi didn't care about me anymore. Why should she, anyway? I wasn't her star pupil anymore. I didn't listen as easily as I used to. The servant and master relationship we've had was beginning to crumble, whether she wanted to see it or not.

In all the time I spent thinking, I realized that I had actually reached the station sooner than I thought I would. In the distance, I could see Haruhi, Koizumi, Nagato and Asahina-san, and it was clear that I had probably kept them waiting. Unfortunately for them, I was too stressed at the moment to even give a damn. Haruhi should just be damn thankful I even came in the first place.

"Do you know how late you are?" she said to me as her form of a welcome, her arms crossed and a very disapproving expression on her face. I glanced at her, and the look on her face was like some sort of visual poison. I looked away.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

I could hear the sound of Asahina-san whimpering in fear, while Nagato and Koizumi remained as silent as the grave. What was I supposed to say to Haruhi right now? There was nothing for me to say.

And so that's how it went. I said nothing to her, and I began to realize that's how it would probably be for the rest of this excursion tonight.

A few hours later on the train, my silence continued, and it seemed that it was actually affecting Haruhi's mood. The fact that I was ignoring her seemed to be an effective tactic in making her pissed off, and I might have relished this if I was in the mood for it.

Because of my silence, the rest of the Brigade seemed to be go silent as we all sat together on this crowded train heading towards the stadium where The Crescendolls would be playing. Well, I ended up standing with Koizumi, and as more people entered, Haruhi, Asahina-san and Nagato all eventually had to give up their seats to the elderly. And so, we were all bunched up next to one another, with Koizumi in the space between me and Haruhi.

I just hoped this band was good. Maybe their music would be able to distract me long enough that I could possibly forget about my current Haruhi-related problems. If they managed to do that, even for a single night, than I'd personally go out and purchase their album the next day. I wasn't kidding, either. I was that desperate.

It's safe to say that I was glad to be off that train once we finally arrived at the station right by the stadium where The Crescendolls would be playing. Asouko Stadium was big enough for a couple thousand people, though I highly doubted that many people would be attending this concert. This band seemed relatively unknown if you asked me.

And there's something else I'd like to point out about the train ride here. I hoped I was seeing things, but I thought I saw Haruhi getting as close as she possibly could get toward Koizumi during the train ride, all in front of me. Their hands touched multiple times, and Haruhi kept mentioning something about there being not enough space on the seven foot long metal pole for two hands to fit.

I didn't care. I shouldn't care. The problem was that I say that, but to tell the truth, I was thinking otherwise. I found myself caring quite a bit.

It was short walk to the stadium, and the relative silence remained for all of us. I found it hard to comprehend that my lack of speaking is causing everyone else to be quiet as well. I looked back at Nagato, as she read a novel while still walking behind us in this more unfamiliar part of the city. The silence must be golden to her. Maybe it's a moment like this she's been waiting for all this time...

Haruhi looked pissed, despite her lack of words. She stomped along in front of me, refusing to give me a glance or anything similar. The silence is nice. What sucks was that it's going to be ruined once we finally reached the stadium up ahead.

The process of us getting inside was actually very easy, and there was no line to speak of, at least in the side we were entering from. This didn't make me feel any better, but at least we wouldn't be baking in the sun for a long time in some godforsaken line of people. That was certainly a plus.

Even as we went through one of the stadium's inner chambers, the silence between us continued. I glanced back and forth, noticing posters on the walls that said "The Crescendolls Live" with the words "One More Time" above. The text on the posters was nice and stylized, but as of yet, I hadn't gotten much of a hint of what this band even looked like. Not that I really cared in the first place.

When we all got into the stadium, even I had to admit some awe from the sheer amount of people inside. There were definitely at least a thousand of them, all finding their seats as the five us had just entered. We were lucky to win these tickets, because when Haruhi actually found the time to read them, they said that we were all right in the front, where we would literally have a front row seat to the performance. Of course, this could be a very bad thing if the band sucked. I hoped that wasn't the case.

"Wow. There are a lot of people here..." Asahina-san said softly as she looked around with curious eyes. Haruhi didn't seem to be in the mood to say anything nice, so she responded with a indignant tone.

"I've seen so many more, Mikuru-chan. These people are just another drop in the ocean."

Those words sent me back a little, to a time where Haruhi had told me something our of the blue. It was about how insignificant she had felt at a young age, and how she had always considered herself to be an important and special person. When she'd found out just how much of a small percentage she was compared to the rest of the world, her outlook on life had suddenly changed. I wondered if this was also giving her nostalgia, and perhaps she was getting all pissed over it. In the end, I decided not to care.

We found our spot in this stadium, and it was right in front of where the band would be performing, with a big metal barricade between us and where the four band members would playing. Their instruments were all set up on stage, and they consisted of an electric keyboard, a full drum set, an electric guitar, and a large slim-necked bass. I checked my watch, annoyed by the sound of people moving around all around us as I did. The concert would start in approximately ten minutes. We had cut it quite close, considering that the last few hours before getting on the train involved me treating Haruhi and everyone else the entire time. I found it surprising that I've been able to carry out the silence since then.

"So where are they?"

I figured Haruhi would be the first to ask that. God, she's really impatient. Doesn't she understand that not everyone likes to move at a super fast pace like she does? Of course she doesn't. Haruhi's too thick-headed to care about anyone else these days.

"It seems the band is probably still preparing. I can imagine this is probably very stressful for them." Koizumi commented, with that goddamn smile of his on his face.

Like you would know about stress, you esper bastard. Don't you ever shut up?

After Koizumi's comment, everything felt so much worse. However, even in my supposed depression, I caught myself doing something I really shouldn't have. As we waited in our boredom, I began to just glance back at Haruhi, and marvel at her beauty despite the fact that I had been telling myself I wanted nothing to do with her this whole time. I had been lucky enough that she didn't notice, but I still wanted to hit myself for being so stupid. Now I just wanted this concert to start already.

Finally, people began to quiet down as a man in a tan suit came on stage, walking past the instruments that had been set up. Everyone stopped what they were doing in the stands above, and calmness came over all of Asouko Stadium as he began to speak.

To be honest, I barely listened to any of what he said. He just mentioned something about The Crescendolls on their way of being the next best thing, and that they're "not really from around here". No doubt they were a foreign band, at least from what their website said. I kind of just wanted this guy to get off stage and let them preform already, to tell the truth. Their music would probably keep my attention for just a little while.

Finally, he excused himself, and told us all he hoped we would enjoy the show. All of us stared at the stage ahead, waiting for something, anything to happen after that guy left the stage. For a minute, everything remained silent, and the instruments remained untouched as the whole stadium watched in suspense.

Suddenly, there was bright flash of light, and it was bright enough to blind me, and probably the rest of the Brigade, since we were all in front. It lasted a few seconds, and when it finally dimmed, we were greeted with a new sight on stage.

The band members had arrived, in a form even I did not expect. First of all, they were all wearing these strange orange jumpsuit-like costumes, coupled with some kind of weird white headbands. Three of the band members were male, specifically the keyboardist, guitar player and drummer. The last was female, and she was obviously the bassist, silently picking up her bass guitar and tuning it as the other members got situated.

Now, the next thing I noticed was the color of their skin. It was blue. And I'm not kidding. These band members all looked like they had painted their skin a cerulean blue. Even in my slight melancholy, I found this ridiculous, and I wondered if this nodded to the fact that their music might not be good.

"Interesting." Nagato said quietly and out of the blue(no pun intended) as the band began to finish silently setting themselves up, but the last part of the word she said was drowned out by the roaring crowd around us. Obviously the audience liked this band even before they'd done anything.

I can't say I wasn't a little surprised by all this. The band was blue for godsakes. Were they trying to copy something else? I remember there being a duo of guys that also painted themselves blue. Eh, did any of this really matter that much? These are trivial things that hopefully wouldn't affect the quality of their music, despite how ridiculous it made the lot of them look.

When the band looked ready to start, the crowd around us hushed quickly. We hadn't said much this whole time, and the fact was that all of our attention was on the blue group of orange jumpsuit-wearing musicians in front of us. Finally, I could hear the sound of the drummer lightly tapping on cymbals, and starting up a beat.

Out of nowhere, the words "One more time!" came out of the keyboardist's mouth, and the rest of the band seemed to take that as their cue to start playing. I could hear the sound of thumping bass, guitar, and the sound of the beating drums. To my surpass, the music started off well, and I found myself already enjoying it. It was alleviating my stress, though only a little bit.

As for the rest of the Brigade, they seemed to be listening intently, and the large amount of people in their seats above seemed to be doing the same. I could see signs above that said "We love you, Crescendolls!" around us, and many people were cheering despite the relative silence of most of the stadium, save for the sound of the band.

As the song progressed, I couldn't help but notice some things even as I found myself enjoying it. The keyboardist wasn't actually using a microphone as he sang. Now, this isn't necessarily so abnormal, but the fact was that he was singing to a huge stadium of people, and his voice sounded very, very loud. On top of that, their were signs of distortion in his voice as he sang, and without a microphone, I kind of wondered how he could pull off such a stunt so easily.

I don't know what everyone else's opinions of all this music was, but I assumed they were positive from the fact that no one seemed to be complaining. I could see Haruhi's foot slightly tapping to the beat, despite the still slightly discontented expression on her face. I would have called this cute, but I didn't really feel in the mood for that.

Luckily, the music was making me feel a whole lot better. Call me crazy, but it was almost rejuvenating me, in a way. In fact, it felt like all my angry and depressed emotions were being sucked away with each passing second.

I glanced over to Nagato for a moment. To my complete suprise, she actually seemed more interested in this band more than the rest of us. She was staring intently at the bass player as she moved around on stage, strumming on her instrument as her long golden hair waved around her. Maybe it's just me, but I was getting this feeling that Nagato actually seemed to genuinely enjoying this performance. To me, that was something out of the ordinary, considering very few things actually interested this alien.

When the first song ended, I decided I would ask Nagato why she was so interested.

"What is it?" I said to the alien, who didn't turn to face me, and continued to stare at the stage. The others seemed to also be eagerly waiting for the next song, but Nagato was definitely the most interested in all of this.

"This sound. It's unique."

The answer was simple, but something about the way Nagato said it...I don't know. She sounded weirder than usual. Maybe she likes this kind of music and she just never told us. Who knows?

Alright. I have to admit that the rest of this concert put me in a much, much better mood. All the songs were actually pretty good, and the band played with an almost inhuman perfection, if I may say. The last one was especially good, and I could have danced to it if I had the spine to make a fool of myself. Later on, I got a hunch even Haruhi enjoyed, as I saw her lip-syncing the words of the last song as we waited for the stadium around us to empty.

After the band had actually finished, they picked up their instruments without a word of thanks or anything else, and they just went backstage. It's too bad we didn't have some sort of backstage pass or anything with those free tickets, because I was almost in the mood to compliment these musicians on their work.

So while we waited for the stadium to empty, Haruhi took Asahina-san with her to the ladies room, while Koizumi mentioned something about going and seeing what the gift stand had to offer. The band was good, but I really didn't want to waste any money on a shirt I probably wouldn't wear. In the end, I didn't go with him, and I was left alone with Nagato.

With no one else around, I couldn't help but comment about her behavior before. It was making me wonder, and my sudden good mood was probably a part of why I asked this human interface what I asked.

"So what was so unique about that sound?"

Nagato's eyes glanced back at me, unchanging as she spoke in her usual robotic tone.

"The sound. Ordinary humans are not capable of replicating it. It's of extraterrestrial origin."

Now, I don't think you can blame me for having laughed after I heard Nagato say this. Basically, she told me that the band we had just heard were all aliens, just like her. With my mood suddenly not so bad, I guessed I could have laughed at hearing something like that without second thought.

"You're kidding, right? Is this your version of a joke, Nagato?"

"No."

I stopped myself. Nagato sounded serious as always, but her one word response was enough to stop me from laughing. Come to think of it, the laugh was kind of uncontrolled, and it came out without me even thinking about it.

"The sound is of extraterrestrial origins, capable of affecting human emotions. The Entity knows of a race like this. They exist in a far off galaxy, approximately 3,578 light years away from this planet."

After that, I felt like I didn't have much more to say to Nagato. I kind of shrugged, and tried my best to ignore what she said. All of sudden, the thought of seeing that monster back in the ocean was coming back to me. If these were aliens like Nagato was telling me, then no doubt they were a product of Haruhi in some way, shape or form. But being in such a good mood, I tried my absolute best to not even think about such an idea.

After a few minutes of silence between Nagato and me, Haruhi and Asahina-san returned, and Koizumi came shortly after. He had a black t-shirt in a clear casing with him, which Haruhi's eyes went wide at. Apparently, she actually seemed interested in the object.

"You got a t-shirt, Koizumi-kun?" Haruhi asked with excitement in her voice. "I need to go buy one before they all run out!"

As I listened to this, I saw Koizumi's expression change, and he looked a bit nervous all of a sudden. He replied to our Brigade Chief with an unsure tone of voice.

"I'm sorry to say this, Suzumiya-san, but I seemed to have bought the last shirt they had in stock. It is most unfortunate."

A silence erupted between us all again, and it was mostly in part that the stadium had nearly cleared up, and the cleaning crew was already coming out and picking up garbage from the stands.

Haruhi's face became sullen, and from what I could tell, it looked like she might have really wanted a t-shirt from this concert. To tell the truth, it might not have been that important to her at first, but maybe it had become so after the music turned out to be so good.

"I see..."

Koizumi's expression became surprised upon hearing a sad Haruhi, and he walked forward, a smile forming on his face as he handed his enclosed Crescendolls t-shirt to her. She looked down in surprise at his offer, and took it with an expression I hadn't seen in quite awhile. Haruhi was genuinely in awe, as if the encased t-shirt in her hand was an ancient alien artifact or something.

"You can just have mine, Suzumiya-san. I can see that it's more important to you than it is to me."

Somehow, Koizumi's comment actually put a sharp spike in my good mood. The way he said it just screamed to me that he was being a kiss-ass to her. I tried to ignore it, but what happened next took my attention unlike anything else.

As we all watched, Haruhi blinked curiously, walking up to Koizumi with the t-shirt under one of her arms. The esper looked surprised that she would come so close to him, and his eyes went wide when they were literally face to face. Without warning, we all watched Haruhi lean in a little, and give Koizumi a quick kiss on the cheek.

As you might have guessed, this broke my mood faster than I thought it intially would. Haruhi had been the product of enough stress for me, and Koizumi had been as well, but seeing something like this was just like shoving a metal spike into my brain. It was painful to watch.

Something was wrong. The way Haruhi did it seemed almost planned. The way she kissed him on the cheek, while it may have looked innocent, almost had malicious undertones to it. Everything about what she had just done was wrapping around my mind like a giant anaconda.

Even while Koizumi remained surprised, and Asahina-san looked confused, Haruhi glanced at me, with an expression I hadn't seen before. It was her way of getting my attention, and this kiss of her's was absolutely the same kind of thing. My face grew sullen faster than I could even register...

I really don't think I'll be buying that album like I thought I would be. I don't think any song can save my mood now...

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**On another note, if you didn't get the references in this chapter, I really suggest watching Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. It's well worth it. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey people! Guess who's in college? Me! And guess who just wrote a new chapter for all my great readers? Me again! I'm always in this game, at least until the stories come to a close. But that's still a while from now! So for now, enjoy this new chapter people!**

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It bothered me sometimes how quickly time flies. I mean, call me crazy, but it was almost as if time went a little too fast in the last week of my summer break.

In all honesty, even I was kind of surprised how fast time went. One minute, we were still in the summer, and in the next, it was the night of August 31st again. Thankfully, I didn't have to be worried about having to repeat the same week over and over again.

Nevertheless, school was just on the horizon. Maybe it's just me, but everything seemed to just speed by whenever Haruhi and the rest of her merry bunch were involved.

I sighed as my ceiling suddenly became the most interesting thing in my room. My alarm clock had successfully gone off when it was supposed to and woken me up, and now all I was doing was waiting. Waiting for the inevitable. This was the first day of school since summer break ended.

I didn't want to get out of bed. I didn't want to change out of these clothes, nor did I want to eat some breakfast and head out the door. I really didn't want to go on that usual hike of mine either. And if there's one thing I really, really didn't want to do; it definitely had to be sitting in front of…you guessed it, Haruhi.

To make things easy to understand, this summer hadn't been too great for me, mostly because of some events which have collapsed my usually decent mood. All these things involve our infamous Brigade Chief, and I've started to get these terrible feelings in my stomach every time Haruhi's face comes up in my thoughts.

I'll be honest with myself. I'm jealous.

That is the simplest way to put it. I'm jealous of Koizumi, despite how stupid and utterly moronic that sounds.

Why am I jealous? Well, there's only one reason, and I witnessed the proof of it at a concert during the last week of our summer break.

Haruhi gave Koizumi a kiss. It was a small, almost innocent kiss on the cheek, but it was a kiss nonetheless, and something tells me it was specifically for my viewing. When I saw Haruhi kiss him, she gave me an expression that probably meant something along the lines…

"I'm sick of following you and getting nowhere. Now it's time to move on, idiot!"

Well, that would be Haruhi's way of putting it if she shouted it in my face. The only problem is that Haruhi hadn't really been all there since summer started. And when I say something like that, I really mean it. She'd changed drastically, and frankly, I'd become a little afraid at the possible consequences of her changes.

Why should I be afraid? What effect does all this have on me? It's not just me that it will affect. Haruhi's goddamn changes could affect the whole world, if not the universe.

And I was the cause of it all, wasn't I? All because I decided to break up with her. A guy can't break up with someone and hope she won't inadvertently destroy the world these days. And now to top it all off, she's blatantly attempting to make me jealous by trying to look interested in Koizumi. I'm not an idiot. Haruhi isn't romantically interested in Koizumi. Frankly, I was surprised she would be romantically interested in anyone, let alone me.

I sighed. There's not much to think about at this point. I'd probably develop some sort of brain disease with all the thinking I was doing. And I'd be late to the first day of classes if I didn't get my ass up. I guessed I had no choice in the matter at this point.

After wolfing down some breakfast, I was out the door as usual, getting my arms into the sleeves of my blazer even as I walked out the door. Today was still a bit warm for September, but that's usually the case for the beginning of fall.

I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a lot on my mind at this very moment. I mean, there's a ton of stuff rolling around in my thoughts. School was coming back, which meant a re-emergence in the SOS Brigade and its daily meetings. On top of that, I realized that I was going to be piled on with schoolwork again, and that's not something I was looking forward too. Even still, there has to be some positives to the upcoming year, right?

Nope. I couldn't think of any at all. Damn. That sucked.

What's Haruhi trying to pull? I haven't seen her or anyone else from the Brigade since that concert night. That's probably from my sullen mood after her actions that night.

As I began my daily hike which I'd almost been missing over the summer, I felt like I had too much time on my hands to just think. With no Haruhi to yell in my ear, and no Koizumi to start spouting out random psychobabble, I actually felt like I was at some sort of serene peace. Everything was calm and ordered. There were no variables like Haruhi to come and ruin the peace.

Yes. I could enjoy a life like this. I could enjoy the calmness that comes without Haruhi. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just go back to my old life. The one where I believed in the real world and its set laws. The one where eccentric high school girls couldn't create inter-dimensional spaces where blue giants ran amok just because they were a little discontent or bored. The life where aliens, time travelers and espers didn't personally explain their existence to you.

That's the life I think I was missing. It's stress free.

"Yo! Kyon!"

An expected response from a person I could only expect to find me this early on my route to school.

I stopped in my tracks, and Taniguchi could be seen running up the hill, waving like a deluded idiot. A small smile sneaked its way onto my face. I guessed if I focused on him, I could forget some of the stress from over the summer.

"Morning."

"What the hell is up with you? Already pissed off that school is starting again?" he said, breathing a little hard after finally catching up with me.

Nice guess, Taniguchi. You managed to get a quarter of it right.

"A little bit."

A stupid grin came up on Taniguchi's face. I already had a good feeling what was coming next.

"You're still reeling over Suzumiya? Damn, Kyon! She's just a crazy girl. Get over it."

"Stop making things up. That's not part of the problem."

"I'm not stupid. You're still not over the girl."

Damn you! Are you a mind reader too? Of course not. You're too thick-headed to be an esper.

"It doesn't matter anyway. I'd like to get through the rest of this year with as little pain as possible. With things like the sports festival already on their way, I get the feeling that there's only more craziness in store for me." I replied dryly, my hands in my pockets as the two of us headed to school side by side. Taniguchi certainly seemed like he was in a good mood.

"Yeah, on the topic of craziness…" he began, with a nervous tone of voice.

I raised an eyebrow. What was it now? It's probably another inane comment.

"It's nice having Tsuruya as a girlfriend and all, but she's a little…"

Now he's complaining about having a girlfriend? Was he just trying to piss me off right now? Damn it! I didn't think that.

"…energetic."

Curse this teenage mind! Now he's putting lots of unnecessary thoughts inside my head. Get out! I don't want to see Tsuruya-san and this idiot doing it in my brain!

"I hope you're not talking with some sort of undertone."

Taniguchi raised an eyebrow at me like I was a mythical hydra from Greek myth. Obviously, I said something insulting. Or maybe it's just him.

"I wish! I'm not talking about that. I'm being serious. She's got a lot of freaking energy, Kyon! I mean, the girl bounces off walls! She can't seem to get enough of me whenever I'm around. It's like I'm her drug, and it's kind of scaring me a little bit."

"Well, lucky you."

It would be safe to say that Taniguchi's revelations were enough to make me feel a little worse. Not that I'd been feeling any better. It seemed like my depression was coming in constant cycles. One minute, I was in a decent mood, and another, I felt like trash. I couldn't help but wonder if any of this could be Haruhi's doing. It's probably just another way for her to screw me over.

When I arrived in class, I could already see that people all around were becoming reacquainted with each other, as if summer break had been more like a few years. It's as if we've all been separated by some sort of apocalypse, and now there were heartfelt reunions all around. Well, that could be a little bit of an exaggeration. I just ignored the people around me, and probably the greetings they said as well.

Maybe I'm acting like a bit of an ass today. I guessed trashy moods do that to you.

I felt so melancholic, to tell the truth. This is mostly because Haruhi wasn't present in the room, despite the fact that I arrived a little earlier than usual today, perhaps so I could ignore her before she tried to say something to me. I'm acting like a bit of a hypocrite though, because now I felt like I almost want Haruhi to be sitting behind me, so I could focus myself away from her, instead of on nothing.

While the rest of the class continued chattering about, I just sat there, a bored look on my face. This is probably what Haruhi felt like when I first met her. Staring out the window, unsatisfied with the world and its set rules and laws. Then one day, without even knowing it, she changed those set rules. She cheated in the game of life, and she still doesn't feel satisfied with her results.

But I'm stuck with whatever roll of the die I get. It's a like a tabletop RPG gone wrong. And I got all the terrible stat point assignments.

It was then I spotted Haruhi.

When I decided to turn my gaze onto the open door into the hallway, I saw none other than Haruhi, her hands on her hips, and a piece of paper in clutched in one of them. In front of her, stood Okabe-sensei. They looked like they were going on about something or another, with Haruhi consistently pointing at the piece of paper in her hand. Okabe-sensei looked unconvinced about whatever Haruhi was trying to tell him, and he rubbed his chin while reading the note she pretty much shoved onto him.

After a few more minutes of discussion that I couldn't hear, the both of them entered, Haruhi being first as she passed my seat without even giving me a second glance. I could easily tell she didn't plan on sitting in her usual seat, and I wondered if this was another ploy of her's to just make me jealous.

Okabe-sensei took his place at the podium in the front of the room, while Haruhi stood next to him, hands behind her back. Her expression looked relatively calm.

"I've got an announcement for you all."

Heads turned, and attentions were caught when Okabe-sensei spoke. I only paid attention because it involved Haruhi, to tell the truth.

"Since Asakura Ryoko's leaving, we've yet to have a class representative. This has gone on for about a year. It seems like Suzumiya-san here would like to take the position."

My expression seemed to break as if it were a mirror that someone decided to whack a sledgehammer with it. The bored look on my face disappeared, replaced with one of sudden confusion.

What the hell? Haruhi becoming the class representative? Why did she want the position? Don't tell me this is some sort of plot of hers. Don't tell me she's planning on turning this entire class into an expanded SOS Brigade.

"All it will take for her to become the new representative is for the class to agree on it via a majority vote. I suggest voting for her. She seems very prepared for the position."

Prepared? Of course she's prepared! Prepared to take over the world! Damn it! Now I sounded paranoid!

"If you don't mind, Okabe-sensei, I can explain it to them." Haruhi said out of the blue, with a very concise tone of voice. Once again, this Haruhi seems very out of place in the world she created. I didn't like the way she sounded. She's changing way too much, if you ask me.

"I'd like to hear this. Especially since my vote could end it for you, Suzumiya." Taniguchi says from the back, a grin on his face. I wondered if he's just looking to be punched in the face half the time.

"It's simple. If you make me the new class representative, then not only will I make our class the most successful during the sports festival and the cultural festival, but I'll also get us all on a field trip to Mt. Fuji in less than a month's time. In fact, I could probably have a few other classes to come with us, including Asahina-san's class."

There were some obvious inconsistencies in Haruhi's sentence. First of all, she's speaking with coherence and common sense. Those things are almost never expected from her. Secondly, she just called Asahina-san…Asahina-san. Haruhi always calls her Mikuru-chan. This is obviously a problem, if you asked me. Haruhi's lying about something, or she's trying to hide something.

Or this was all a plot to make me jealous. That's probably it.

"You've got my vote!"

Figured Taniguchi would be persuaded so easily if Asahina-san was included in the equation. Or maybe it's because he knew that Tsuruya-san was also in Asahina-san's class. It's probably that, because I got chills wondering what a mad Tsuruya-san would look like if Taniguchi ever dared to cheat on her or something. Probably not a pretty sight.

It wasn't long before the rest of the class agreed with Taniguchi. It's no surprise that Haruhi was able to convince them all so easily. She's a master persuader, and it seemed like she's caught this entire class in her grip. Surprisingly, I felt out of the loop. I never raised my hand or said anything for the entire duration of the voting. Something told me that Haruhi was disappointed by this, despite the fact that everyone else in the class voted for her.

After Haruhi's victory, my day went by fairly quickly. I believed that I focused on my classes more than anything else, and that's mostly because I wanted to just get my mind off of Haruhi or anything related to her. Similarly, she refused to say anything despite still being right behind me. I personally was glad she didn't talk to me.

I was heading to the clubroom now, with my mind unable to focus on anything else besides the SOS Brigade. When school ended, my thought process shifted, and Haruhi suddenly became my focus. I cursed myself for thinking about her, but I headed to her infernal clubroom nevertheless. The power of habit was strong enough to make me do such a thing.

When I opened the door, I spotted only two people inside. Koizumi was in his usual seat, his arms crossed, but an eerie smile on his face. Nagato was all the way in the corner, reading yet another novel. Nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary, expect for the absence of Haruhi and Asahina-san.

"Good to see you." Koizumi said as I took my seat. He was always one to speak first in any conversations between us. I wasn't much in the mood to talk, but I knew he would go on without a response from me, so I gave him one anyway.

"If today was any good, I'd agree with you."

Koizumi just continued to smile, and I tried my best to ignore the expression. Come to think of it, everything about him is pissing me off right now. I wonder why the hell that is.

"I'm guessing you heard about her new position."

"Suzumiya-san? If you're referring to her becoming your classes' new representative, then yes, I have. It's an interesting turn of events."

"Don't sound so unassuming. You must be enjoying your time with her. I haven't seen you for awhile, so I wouldn't actually know." I shot back at the esper, with poison in my tone of voice. I was really hoping that would just piss him off.

Instead, Koizumi just kept his smile, pushing aside his hair. Stop doing that, you self-conscious bastard!

"It's not really like that. As you might have guessed, Suzumiya-san is acting out of impulsion, and part of that it also due to her changing mindset. Believe me when I say that the kiss she gave me meant nothing. It meant nothing to her, and it certainly means nothing to me. It was all to get your attention. That is what this is all about."

I guessed that already. I still don't believe you one bit. You've got some ulterior motive. I'm not an idiot, Koizumi.

"Well, you can enjoy your time with her. But when she decides to piss you off, don't say I didn't tell you anything." I replied, crossing my arms.

"I'm not going to worry about that. I think if anything, Suzumiya-san would be content if I pretended like I actually cared about her as a significant other. When she requests it, I will be sure to satiate her desire. Otherwise, the consequences of not doing so could be very serious."

You sound like a perverted sicko to me, Koizumi. You think you know Haruhi? You don't know her one bit.

"Do whatever you want. See if I care."

Koizumi said nothing to me after that. He did give me a look, however. It was a look that said something along the lines of…

"You're lying. You do care."

And though he can go to hell with it, he was right.

The door opened slowly, and I could hear the footsteps of two people entering. Haruhi came first, with Asahina-san following her in her normal school clothes instead her maid outfit, surprisingly. Haruhi had a piece of paper in her hand, and an excited expression on her face.

"I have an announcement for all of you!" she stated out loud, her eyes bright.

What is it now? I don't want to know, to be honest.

"There's going to be some changes around here. And the first one is as follows. From now on, the SOS Brigade is going to participating in mandatory community service every day after school. We're going to be going to the community center soon, where we're in charge of watching all the little kids for a few hours. If we can do that for two weeks straight, then the school has agreed to fund five classes for a trip to Mt. Fuji in October. And this is all possible because of my new position as class representative."

After hearing that, my mind just went blank. I had no response, and I certainly didn't have any protest in my mind. All those things would be useless at this point. From what I could hear, Haruhi sounded dead set this time. And when she was this serious, there was very little on the planet that could stop her. Well, that's also a bit of an exaggeration.

Never mind. Without thinking, I laid my head down and tried to go into a sleeping state that never came.

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I keep coming back to her and this clubroom? Why does such repetition plague me so? And why do I keep asking why?

Like so many other things, I'll never know. Damn it all…


	9. Chapter 9

**And low and behold, I have written another chapter to the story that's slowly becoming my most successful thus far. Sorry for the wait. With college, it seems like I suddenly got a lot busier. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, and wait eagerly for the next one! ;)**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________ **

Initially, I was unprepared. They came fast and without warning. Their senses were sharp, and their aim, even sharper. I had absolutely no chance to react before they struck.

The sensation of being hit by a barrage of various balls was actually more painful then what I had expected. Like I said before, I was unprepared for this attack. I had been minding my own business, wanting to stay away from any and all little kids for a long as I possibly could. Unfortunately, the little monsters found me, and they happily unleashed their fury on me in the form of just about any kind of ball you could think of. Dodge balls, soccer balls, basketballs, you name it.

"Dammit!"

After I uttered that uncensored exclamation, the only thing I could think of possibly doing was protecting my body from any further damage. Although most of the projectiles aimed at me already made their mark, I curled my arms around my head, and closed my eyes shut. I hoped the suffering would end sooner rather than later.

I'm starting to hate kids right now. Ever since last week, Haruhi has actually been serious in making us go to the community center after school, where we're all obligated to watch over all the little kids who have their after school programs there. It's a tiresome and terrible job, mostly because all that really happens to me there is that I get beaten up by people half my size. And to top it all off, it seems like all the kids here find pleasure in physically harassing me whenever I'm in sight.

After a few seconds, I realized that the storm of balls had subsided. Slowly, I stood up straight, and narrowed my eyes in annoyance at a sight not too far away from me. Don't ask me why, but just seeing Haruhi was beginning to piss me off.

"But I want that ball!"

"No fair! It's mine!"

"No! It's mine! I saw it first!"

Haruhi was towering over two little kids, and she was bouncing an orange ball in her hand. She looked displeased, and I guessed that she was probably starting to get sick of this stuff by now. I think working here is the worst kind of torture since the iron maiden.

"How many times do I have to tell you two? It's everyone's ball. If it came from here, then everyone has to share it. And if you two don't figure that out in the next five seconds, then I won't let either of you use it!" Haruhi said as she stared down the two kids in front of her, the orange ball now underneath her arm. She looked dead serious, which was pretty surprising considering that I haven't seen her like this for awhile now.

Then again; when the hell did Haruhi care about sharing and stuff like that? I imagined her telling these kids something along the lines of…

"Alright, you two! You're going to have a battle to death for this ball! The one who comes out with their opponent's skull gets the ball as a trophy!"

Well, that might be just a little graphic. Nevertheless, maybe I was just starting to miss the old Haruhi a little bit. This new Haruhi was so much less...it would be hard to put into words.

She's less…Haruhi…

There's just no suitable adjective to describe her change in personality.

This is stupid! Why have I convinced myself into this pointless depression? Is this really all over Haruhi Suzumiya? Didn't I dislike this girl for most of the time I've known her? Haven't I insulted her and berated her quite a bit, even though most of all of it was in my head?

I sighed. Who gives a damn? In my perspective, it seemed like nobody did except me. Not Koizumi, not Nagato, and definitely not Haruhi. From what I could see, she seemed genuinely happy. If anything, I should probably be happy for her.

But I'm not. I'm not happy at all.

Next morning, I really wasn't in the mood to learn. I would have rather ventured through a dreamland of rabid foxes than have to sit in this uncomfortable desk. The teacher's voice was pissing me off, the breeze from the open window was pissing me off, and the fact that someone's not sitting behind me was really, really pissing me off.

You heard me right. Haruhi's seat was moved. She's now closer to the front, right in the seat of the former Ryoko Asakura.

And now at the beginning of the period, Haruhi checked the attendance while Okabe-sensei was already doing it, just to make sure nobody cuts while the class is on her watch. And she's memorized the seating order as well, and I've guessed that Haruhi will just make life difficult for you if you don't sit in the correct seat.

But in all honesty, her becoming our class representative was the least good thing to happen this year. Giving Haruhi an actual position of authority is like giving Genghis Khan the Gurren Lagann. It's just not a good idea.

Visions of Haruhi conquering the world with her armies streamed through my head as ramen made its way down to my stomach. I was sitting with Taniguchi and Kunikida again, and it's safe to say that it's been some time since I've eaten with these two. The summer seemed so long, yet it went by so fast. Still, I barely saw either of them in its duration.

"This school is going mad!" Taniguchi exclaimed with food in his mouth. I looked back at him in disgust, raising an eyebrow and wondering what the hell he was going off about.

"You mean with Suzumiya?" Kunikida asked, and he managed to be polite enough to finish what was in his mouth before deciding to talk. I do believe Kunikida could be more successful in this school if he kept his distance with Taniguchi.

"Of course I mean with Suzumiya! She's gone wacko! I mean, this is really something. Suzumiya's gone way over the hill this time."

"What do you mean? I haven't seen her do anything strange. In fact, she seems more normal than usual. And she's going to plan that trip for our classes. I've been wanting to see Mt. Fuji for awhile."

"The fact that she's normal is what's so weird! Suzumiya never acts like this! She's always ranting about aliens or how boring regular people are. When was the last time you heard her mention something weird, Kunikida? When?"

"I don't remember. Wouldn't that be a good thing anyway?"

"You would think so. But she's probably planning all this! She's probably waiting for us to turn our backs and let our guards down."

And this is coming from the idiot who voted for her first? How much more contradicting can you get?

"I think Suzumiya's just trying to fit in with everyone else. Maybe she finally realized what high school's all about." Kunikida said in a soft voice that greatly contrasted Taniguchi's much louder one.

Taniguchi was fiddling with his chopsticks, gritting his teeth. I ate in silence, but it was easy to hear the whispers around me. Most of them pertained to Haruhi, but I heard my name multiple times.

Taniguchi threw out a pompous laugh. My blood unexpectedly boiled.

"Suzumiya's not trying to fit in. She's just trying to make everyone else do her bidding. All she cares about is her stupid ideals and that idiotic club of hers. There's no-"

I had enough of Taniguchi's idiocy at that point. He had thoroughly pissed me off on a day where I was already at my limit. And so, because he decided to open his mouth like that, I decided to shut him up when my bento box went flying into his face. Whatever Taniguchi might have said next was drowned by the rice I couldn't finish.

"What the hell was that for?" Taniguchi shot at me, exasperated as he threw aside the bento box. Around us, the stares were already beginning.

I didn't really want to give him a response, but on a day like this, I felt like he almost deserved it.

"For being an idiot.

Taniguchi just kind of looked back at me like I was a ghost. Maybe he was just in disbelief that I'd tell him something like that, or maybe he was actually contemplating the possibility of it being true. All I knew was that I probably had to say that sentence sometime before I severed contact with this guy.

Those words felt good. Too good. I wondered why at first, but something told me it was because of the shadow that formed over me. In an instant, I knew why everything had suddenly felt this way. It was because it was too good to be true.

"What do you think you're doing?" an obviously angry Haruhi said from right behind me. In my anger, I had forgotten that she'd only been out of the room for a brief moment to deliver the attendance records, and that she could be back in any moment. She probably came back just in time to see Taniguchi get hit in the face with that bento.

I didn't say anything. To tell the truth, I couldn't actually think of anything to say.

"Are you going to answer me, Kyon? Stop acting like a baby and say something!"

Surprisingly, Taniguchi was just as quiet as Kunikida had been this entire time, and with the appearance of Haruhi, the rest of the class had also silenced themselves.

"What's there for me to say? You're just going to say you saw what I did if I lie."

It was the truth. Haruhi was waiting for a lie, but I wasn't going to give her one. Instead, I leaned forward and buried my head in my arms, much in the same way she would do during class. The anger was melting into annoyance now. I waited for Haruhi's judgment, but I got a surprising response.

"Just don't do it again, Kyon. If you do, the consequences will be severe."

Haruhi made sure to be very clear with me, because I could hear her at ear level, which means she had leaned down to say what she had said. Normally, I would have expected her to just pull me by my collar and scream in my face, but this time, that was not the case. From my seat, I could hear Haruhi walk out into the hallway.

With my head buried in my arms, I felt something go down my face that I haven't felt in a long time. It was a tear, and I wondered why the hell I could even think about crying at a time like this.

What was wrong with me? Did I want a reaction from Haruhi? Did I want her yelling at me or being physical like she usually was? Did I truly miss those things about Haruhi? The psychological tension is killing me!

Damn. The sad truth was that I think I did. Once Haruhi had left, Taniguchi and Kunikida said nothing from then on, and I spent the rest of the lunch break with my head in my arms, not crying, but otherwise feeling like absolute garbage,

Don't ask me why I was going to the clubroom now. I myself didn't even know why. It's like I've been compelled there every day by a curse that I can never break free of. It's an unholy repetition that would probably haunt me even after I die. Already my mind was playing images of my ghostly self commuting to the clubroom for an eternity. It's a frightening thought, but it kept my mind off the previous scene I made today. No doubt it would be passed around the school soon enough.

When I arrived, Nagato was the only one in the room, reading a novel. Besides the absence of Koizumi, Asahina-san and Haruhi, the clubroom seemed ordinarily boring. I sighed as I took a seat. Maybe talking to Nagato could take my mind off all this stress.

"Hey Nagato....I was wondering…"

She didn't look up, but I got the feeling she was listening to me. So I pressed on with my question.

"Just how many books have you read?"

This was a kind of question I had never asked this alien before, and part of me doubted the fact that she would even answer in the first place. Still, she reads all the time, so the curiosity to know just how many books she's read would have bubbled up in the back of my thoughts since the day I met her.

The light-haired alien put her book down for a moment on her lap, registering the question. Despite my mood today, Nagato's answer was suddenly becoming the single most exciting thing ever, and I was almost dying to know it.

Unfortunately, something else just had to ruin everything. And that something else had already pissed me off one too many times.

Haruhi slammed open the door and walked through before I could hear Nagato speak, with a slightly shaken Koizumi behind her. She had him by the hand, and just that sight was mentally killing me.

Thanks for the entrance, idiots! I was just about to hear something important!

"Before you start talking about aliens, can I at least get a break from you during school? Today has been difficult enough." I said in the most controlled voice I could muster. The sight of Haruhi still holding Koizumi's hand was painful, and the innocent smile he was wearing was just making it worse.

"You should know that club's not all about that stuff anymore. We're going to focus on community service instead. And it's not my fault that you like to throw things at people, Kyon. It's my job to make sure you stay in line!" Haruhi stated, finally letting go of Koizumi's hand and approaching me. It seemed like these days, anytime Haruhi was around me; she always had a disappointed face on.

I let the words she said go back and forth in my head. I let them coalesce in my thought banks, and then I sighed. The inevitable had finally arrived. I stood up.

"Well, I guess I'm going then."

I grabbed my bag, and I could feel Haruhi's grip on my arm. All of a sudden, the tension in the room rose.

"Suzumiya-san! I brought all the supplies from the Gardening Club…" Asahina-san announced as she entered the room, stopping right by Koizumi when she saw what was going on. I didn't give her a smile or wave, mostly because I was preoccupied with the girl in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going?" Haruhi asked me, anger seething in her voice.

"I'm going home. I'm done with this club. There are better things to do with my afternoons." I replied point blank. This time, I was being dead serious. I didn't want to come to this club if I was going to be forced into constant community service like this, be it Haruhi-run or not.

I stepped back, and slung my bag over my shoulder. Haruhi was looking up at me, as if she was unable to say anything at all. I walked past her, my face filled with melancholy.

I got only a few steps before the shouting started.

"What the hell? Sit your ass back down, you idiot! I didn't give you permission to just leave! Get back in that seat!"

Haruhi's commands sounded fierce and violent. She sounded like she would probably back them with her fists. I didn't care. I ignored her, and I headed for the door again.

"Are you deaf? Get back in that seat! You're not quitting my club, you moron! I won't allow it! I'll hunt you down and drag you back if I have to!!! Sit your ass back down now!!!"

She really sounded mad now. But I was too far ahead to go back. If I went back and sat in my seat, it would just prove that the world really did revolve around her. All this time, everyone else has catered to her needs, from Koizumi and his esper organization, to Nagato and her Data Entity, to Asahina-san and the rest of the future humans. Everything has to be done Haruhi's way, on her terms.

But I was sick of it. There's no freedom with her. I'm not dumb. I know this has all been an act of her's, even though she probably doesn't realize it. It's all been done just to make me jealous. And I'll give Haruhi a hand for it. It certainly worked at making me jealous, but it didn't achieve its intended goal. I was not going back to a girl like this. I've had enough.

When I got to the hallway, Haruhi proceeded to yell some more, and though I never turned around to face her, I sensed that she was starting to cry a little bit. Her voice was cracking the farther I walked. I just ignored her, and before I knew it, I was out of the hallway and going down the stairs towards the exit. I remembered hearing a loud echo of Haruhi calling me an idiot before I left. How these things just bounced off me that day, I'll never know.

Later that night at home, I drove through my homework in an attempt to forget about the day. Unfortunately, some things are hard to forget.

When I was in the middle of my math homework, my phone started ringing next to me. The sound just reminded me of what I did on this very day. Koizumi was calling, and even as I picked it up, I knew what he was going to say. I let him talk first.

"Kyon-kun. It's good you're awake. I hope you know just how much you've put at stake. You should be trying to apologize to Suzumiya-san as quickly as possible. The closed space occurrences for the last few weeks has been difficult enough, and things are just getting worse by the minute." He said over the other line, sounding a little breathless.

"I don't see what there is to apologize about. I didn't even do anything wrong."

Koizumi was silent for a moment, and I could tell her was surprised by what I said. He was probably shocked, more like it.

"You don't seem to understand. The closed space Suzumiya-san is creating is highly unstable. The giants are developing some sort of intangibility, and they're becoming nearly impossible to neutralize. The spaces are just going to grow faster, and it won't be very long before they encompass the world. If you don't apologize to her for your mistake today, then you're spelling out doom for all of us."

"I didn't make a mistake." I said to him. I wasn't joking.

"In her eyes, you did. Try to just understand that she's only acting like this to get your attention. As I've told you, you're just a normal human, unlike the rest of us. When you decided to end your ties with Suzumiya-san, she subconsciously decided to win you back by conforming to the normality you always long for. This is beyond her control."

I know all this, Koizumi. I still don't find any error in my thinking.

"The closed spaces are going to keep growing if nothing is done. I hope you figure out what you're going to do, Kyon-kun." Koizumi stated with his voice serious. I almost had a weird urge to smile, but I didn't. Something about all this seemed so ironic.

"I'll find a way. For now, I should get some sleep."

"Very well. I'll trust that Suzumiya-san will control herself long enough to keep the world existing for another few days."

Koizumi hung up. I closed my phone, and lay down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I've really caused a lot this time, but it doesn't seem to want to sink in. Haruhi is angry at me, and she has perfectly good reason. I quit her club, and that was probably the worst thing I could have done to her.

Koizumi's words echoed in my head. I looked to my side, where my phone was within arm's reach. I could call her and make up some apology. I could fix everything right now.

But I didn't. Instead, I glanced over to my open window. My eyes widened for a moment, and I got up out of bed. There was something bright green, like a huge ribbon, moving through the black sky. It was brilliant and dazzling, like the very Northern lights that you might see if you were lucky enough to live somewhere near them.

But I knew that Japan never had phenomenon like this. Suddenly, I could feel an uneasy squeeze on my heart, and fear began to descend on me. As I watched the infamous Northern lights fluctuating in a Japanese sky out the window above me, I wondered just how serious Haruhi might be taking all this.

She's causing crazy stuff like this now? How many other people have noticed this already?

I looked back at my phone. I could call Haruhi and apologize. I could tell her I was stupid for quitting, that I didn't know what I was thinking.

But instead, I decided sleep was a good idea. And what do you do when you have a good idea? You take initiative on it. Whether or not that was the right or wrong choice at the time; I'll never know.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey all! New chapter coming your way. Sorry for the cliffhanger before. I just needed a good setup for this one. I apologize if this chapter sounds a little dark. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. I had fun writing this one especially. :)**

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What exactly have I done?

I guessed that the reality of my actions would haunt me in my dreams. That shouldn't have surprised me much, considering that I knew full well what I did. I knew full well that my actions from last night thoroughly pissed off Haruhi beyond imagining.

This life felt like some sort of huge practical joke right now. The most normal guy in the world ends up being thrust into the most abnormal circumstances. I got stuck with an esper, a time traveler, an alien and most of all, a loud-mouthed girl with the ability to potentially destroy the universe.

Where did I go wrong? What kind of heinous act did I perform in a past life to be put in this situation?

My thoughts felt a bit jumbled and incoherent, and the ability to not think so clearly at the moment was probably stemming from the fact that I was probably asleep. I've experienced this inner monologue on my way to school, in the SOS Brigade clubroom, and now I'm experiencing it in my sleep. I'm sure this is a problem that probably requires prescription medication. No sane person would talk to themselves in their head this much, and over such ridiculous subjects.

In my partial dream state, I had the urge to awaken, so I acted upon that urge. I may or may not have actually opened my eyes, but I still saw that I was in neither my room nor my bed any longer.

I was sitting on some surface, surrounded by a singular and clean white.

I stood up, bedazzled by the notion that I was once again in this infamous white space. The same white space where the entire SOS Brigade engaged in battle with the Suzumiya-san Antithesis. The same white space where I declared my love for Haruhi Suzumiya.

I didn't want to think of any of that right now, but it was a time like this where I was able to realize the consequences of leaving the SOS Brigade. Essentially, I may have very well doomed every being in this universe. I must be one selfish ass.

God! Why did these things have to drop on me right now? And why the hell am I in this white space again? I felt like this place was trying to mock me or something. All I wanted was to get some sleep, goddammit! I knew full well that tomorrow was a Saturday, and I might actually get the chance to sleep in for once.

But of course, I never got a rest, did I? How angry was Haruhi with me? Was this why I'm in this space?

Idiot girl! Maybe if I she'd been nicer to me, we'd still be together! Maybe then I wouldn't be indirectly obsessing over her, and secretly wishing to myself that I do in fact want her back! Maybe she wouldn't be turning into someone so goddamn normal and boring!

And with all these thoughts in my head, I sighed. Damn. A lot comes out when you least expect it. I blamed these white spaces.

Nevertheless, I should probably try to find a way out of here. Haruhi could very well be in this space as well, so maybe if I found her, I could figure out how to convince her to transport us back to the real world. It's funny, you know. I've yet to find out what this random white space exactly is. I keep ending up in it, so it must have some sort of ulterior significance.

Ah, who the hell cares?

After about twenty minutes of pacing in this emptiness, I felt like a colorblind dog looking for a yellow fire hydrant. Part of me was just thinking that I should sit down and think all this over. Haruhi was able to manipulate this space, so why can't I? Well, I have no idea what the nature of this place is, and when you get down to it, I really was just another normal human being, safe for constantly being surrounded by extraordinary people.

And so I sat down, sighing as a glazed look came over my eyes.

"So I guess I'll just wait for Haruhi's anger to wear off…" I stated out loud to no one in particular, trying to get comfortable as I sat on this white surface Indian style.

"I would suggest you think of a suitable alternative. This place was not created by Suzumiya-san."

It didn't take me more than a few seconds to realize who was speaking behind me. The tone of voice was the biggest clue to the fact that it was none other than Nagato. I turned, and low and behold, the lithe alien was standing about five feet behind me, the same robotic look present on her face.

"It isn't? You must have an explanation concerning where I am, don't you?"

Yes, Nagato. You definitely have some sort of clear and concise explanation regarding my sudden appearance in this white space. As far as I'm concerned, the space seemed like it was always directly related to Haruhi.

Please give me an easy answer, Nagato. My stress limit is already on the verge of breaking, and anything beyond simple facts will just aggravate it.

"I do."

I sighed, this time in relief. At least knowing what kind of terrible situation I'm in is better than not knowing at all. Call that optimism, if you want. I think of it as reduced pessimism.

"You are no longer in what you perceive as the material universe. Instead, you are in an artificial pocket void, where the laws of space and time are as trivial as human reasoning."

You think human reasoning is trivial, Nagato? For all we know, you may very well be right.

"…a pocket void? So I'm nowhere?"

Nagato looked back at me like a disused china doll, slowly turning around so that her back was faced to me. I wondered what was going on in that head of hers. What was she thinking? It's times like these were I wished I could read minds.

"There cannot be a place in the universe where nothing exists. It's impossible, even when it comes to the kind of power that Suzumiya-san possesses. This place is simply more susceptible to data manipulation, and it remains like this when it becomes vacant for long periods of time."

Okay…I guessed I could kind of understand. All of this wasn't too hard to comprehend, and the facts are that it was taking my mind off of my current problems with Haruhi. But now there's one thing I'd really like to know.

"So why am I here?"

Nagato turned like she was powered by clockwork, staring at me with a gaze that could melt the soul. Her eyes glinted even though there was no source of ambient light in this cold white void.

"I have brought you here for a specific reason. You are here to understand the consequences of your actions from the previous day."

What? Is this your way of punishing me, Nagato? What happened to you just wanting to observe Suzumiya-san and all her data manipulation? I guessed that this was the time where Nagato had decided to drop her big Ayanami act.

"I am going to show you the possible outcomes of your actions if you were to not interfere in the situation. The concept of time in this void is skewed, so the possibility of any of these outcomes is still subject to change. Nevertheless, understanding the current situation is required." Nagato stated as she passed by me, walking farther into the blank void that surrounded us. I looked confounded, mostly because I was wondering how the hell Nagato planned on showing me "the possible outcomes of my actions".

After a few more seconds of walking, the alien stopped with her back to me as she seemed to just stare into the whiteness ahead. I watched her in utter curiosity, waiting for her to do something like a child might wait for Christmas morning to arrive.

Finally, the light-haired humanoid interface pointed towards the void, and I could see something happening to the whiteness in front of her. A whirlpool or colors appeared in the blank area like Nagato was painting on a canvas with her thoughts. Soon, it began to coalesce into a solid screen, like the same ones I had seen in my first time being in this space.

The screen was completely black, and I found myself walking closer, to get a better look at whatever Nagato planned on showing me. Curiosity had fully enveloped me now, and I was interested more by instinct than anything else.

"Watch." Nagato said quietly, and the floating screen lit up, showing a brilliant image that made my eyes go wide.

It showed the vastness of space. Hundreds of lights could be seen throughout the blackness, and as the screen seemed to drift back farther, the shapes of galaxies became apparent. It was as if I was looking out of a glass window into the universe itself. The sight was really something else.

Suddenly, the screen zoomed forward, flying by stars and planets of all sorts at mach speed. In a few seconds, the screen was now speeding through Earth's atmosphere, and the island chain of Japan was becoming more and more visible. Finally, the screen zoomed inside a home in the middle of our city, and the image of Haruhi Suzumiya on her bed in her room, head buried in a pillow, was clear as day.

We could see Haruhi look up, and her face was stained with tears. Her words were broken and weak.

"Why does he have to be such an idiot? Why did he have to go ruining my club? Why!?!"

Haruhi looked more emotionally hurt than I have ever seen her. I could suddenly feel a terrible squeeze on my heart.

"I HATE YOU, KYON!"

Her voice wasn't that loud, but to me, it felt like it was breaking the sound barrier. With those words, the screen seemed to zoom back into the cosmos in but an instant, but this time, something was different. As the stars came into view, I noticed that they were beginning to literally…vanish.

I wanted a closer look at this phenomenon. I stepped in front of Nagato, and watched as the universe seemed to just unravel before my eyes. Space blanked out into whiteness, and the stars began to dim and turn off like someone blowing out candles one by one. As the view on the screen zoomed out even more, entire galaxies just looked like they were collapsing on themselves, as reality itself seemed to just fall apart. A few more moments passed, and I felt like time was standing still.

Finally, all that remained of space and its vastness was a blank, white void. I felt so small in that moment.

"It is just a simulated outcome. It has not occurred yet."

I could tell Nagato was trying to reassure me. I backed away as the screen turned black again, and I looked back at the alien behind me, a clearly scared look on my face. It was at this time that I truly understood what I may have very well caused. Knowing that the universe could be possibly end is one thing, but seeing the phenomenon occur is another one entirely.

"She wouldn't do that. She can't be that angry, right?" I said to Nagato in an almost joking way, but the expression that the alien showed me was telling me that it was indeed extremely possible for Haruhi to do such a thing.

"There is more."

There is? I don't know if I want to really see what else could happen…

Despite my internal protest, the screen shifted colors again, and another scene was building itself. I could see myself walking out of my house, and I looked like I was heading to school, my backpack slung over my shoulder. Everything looked normal, until I watched myself fall over onto the ground.

To me, time was standing still as I watched myself fall down face forward onto the sidewalk, my eyes having looked lifeless before I even hit the pavement. In this screen, I laid motionless, my books and papers having fallen out of my backpack and now fluttering in the air.

I was not an idiot. Clearly, this was showing me my death.

"Can we please change it?" I asked Nagato quickly. I couldn't look at the image in front of me any longer, because like all people in this world, something like this just reminded me of my eventual fate. Everyone dies, but I don't think anyone in the world wants to see their death before it comes.

Nagato said nothing to me, and the screen shifted again.

Now I could see what looked like North High. It was a view from the outside, and it showed the hustle and bustle of students leaving the school. One could see boys hitting on girls, teachers heading to the faculty parking lot, and those with after school sports chatting amongst one another before their practices started.

But one thing specifically caught my eye. Haruhi was walking out of the main entrance of North High, a smile on her face as she was hand in hand with what looked like another boy. There was warmth in her eyes that I've never seen before, and in an instant, my mind cracked when I recognized this other boy.

It was Koizumi. He had the same smile on his face, and he looked like he was really enjoying his present situation. The two of them walked along hand in hand, talking about something that I could not decipher. The sound of their voices seemed jumbled, and they continued to talk, mocking me, as they both approached Haruhi's house.

Finally, Haruhi let go of Koizumi's hand, looked back at her house, then up again at the esper I knew. My heart was beating fast, and it was as if I knew exactly what was going to happen next.

Koizumi was the one to make the move, catching Haruhi a little off-guard when he kissed her. My heart stopped for a few seconds, and it felt as if my world was falling apart. Haruhi seemed to warm up to Koizumi like he was the best thing in the world, and I was soon staring at these two in a lover's embrace.

I turned away.

"I'm done. Can we please stop this torture?"

Nagato did not respond, but the screen seemed to disappear into the void, its colors having been sucked inward into the whiteness. I was feeling terrible now. To me, seeing those things was like reminding myself of my stupidity. It did nothing to help my stress level, and as I had feared, it was only aggravating it instead.

"Why did you have to show me that? Are you trying to drive me crazy?" I asked the alien, with a discontented tone of voice. My hair felt like it needed to be ripped out, and my heart was beating fast. The image of Koizumi and Haruhi kissing like that was currently branding itself on the surface of my brain.

Nagato didn't seem to recognize my change in mood. She spoke as if nothing had happened.

"It was necessary for you to understand the severity of the situation. My duty is to observe, but there comes a point where I must act to preserve any future observation. This has become one of those times. You have caused Suzumiya-san a great deal of emotional stress, and it seems that you are the only one who can possibly calm her down. If not, any of those outcomes, if not more, could occur."

I get it, Nagato. I have to bow down to Haruhi again.

"Why do I have to keep doing this? Why do we have to keep acting like Haruhi controls our fates? I'm sick of being someone else's subject!"

My emotions were seething now, mostly because I hated thinking about the utter realization of having to be so below Haruhi. I hated thinking about the fact that we had to appease her like she was some sort of malevolent god. Damn it! I hated thinking of her as a god at all!

I could feel Nagato's stare even though I wasn't looking at her. I couldn't help but ask her a question myself.

"Haven't you ever thought of why we deal with Haruhi? Don't you ever want to be free from her? We're trapped in a world or her creation, and there's no escape from it."

It's frightening. All things I'm saying are so true.

"It is not my choice whether or not I personally want to cease observing Haruhi Suzumiya. It is my duty as an interface. And if you want to continue living in this world, then it will become your duty to satiate her anger, or you can be assured that an unfavorable outcome will occur."

I sighed. There was no arguing with Nagato, because all the things she was saying were true. I do want to continue living in this world. It's just that these things this alien showed me aren't making my thoughts any brighter. They not only scare me, but they continue to drive me to the forbidden subject.

I'm still in love with Haruhi, aren't I? The old Haruhi. The Haruhi that didn't force us to do community service all the time. The Haruhi that didn't want to suddenly become class representative. The Haruhi that still cared about her SOS Brigade and her quest to find extraordinary things.

I think I've realized what I should do now. It's so blatantly obvious. Everything became very clear to me in seconds.

My eyes opened fast, but not in a way where I felt like I was being violently thrust out of a dream. No, they just opened, and I found myself staring up at a ceiling of my boring bedroom. This has been happening quite a bit to me lately.

If that was all a dream, then I think I need some sort of help. Luckily, I had a feeling that wasn't a dream at all. When I got out of bed, I could see something lying on my desk. It was a book, specifically Frank Herbert's _Dune_.

I guessed it was safe to say that Nagato had been here.

I was running now, specifically to a place that I haven't been to in quite awhile. I was running to Haruhi Suzumiya's house, where I planned to do the one thing I should have done the other night.

I needed to apologize to her, and I need to apologize soon. Nagato was no time traveler, but she had obviously figured out ahead of time what could possibly happen if I just decided to let this whole thing be. I was stupid. Stupid for quitting the Brigade at a time like this, and stupid for not listening to Koizumi.

When I finally reached Haruhi's house, my breath was coming out in short bursts as I pressed Haruhi's doorbell. The anticipation of wanting to see her was greater than ever before. I was beyond wanting to see her. I needed to see her.

I waited a few seconds, and I could hear the sound of footsteps and someone beginning to unlock the door. It was about 10 AM on a Saturday, and I assumed that Haruhi would be awake at a time like this. She had told me many times that sleeping late is a death sentence. In her perspective, anyway.

Finally, the door in front of me opened, and I was greeted with the sight of an almost disgruntled looking Haruhi, clad in yellow pajamas and without her hair band on. She looked like she had just been sleeping now.

"Morning…" I said nervously, suddenly feeling a bit out of place with this Haruhi in front of me.

"You're lucky I'm the one who got up. If you had woken my Dad up, you'd probably be on the floor with a few broken ribs." Haruhi told me as if this was her usual way of greeting people.

That's nice, Haruhi. Now onto the real reason why I'm here.

"I'm sorry."

It came out quickly, and I probably sounded like a scared little kid. Haruhi's expression was indifferent at first, and it was then that she looked a bit surprised, raising an eyebrow at me like I was crazy.

"What's this about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I'm sorry for quitting the Brigade. It was a stupid act on my part."

I had trouble believing myself as I spoke. To be completely honest, I was being Haruhi's obedient servant again by apologizing like this. However, it was only being done for the sake of the universe. That is the truth.

"So what's your point?" Haruhi shot back at me, her expression disapproving as she crossed her arms. I only felt smaller now, as it seemed like Haruhi wasn't buying much of my apology. I gulped.

"I'd like to rejoin the SOS Brigade. Make me the lowest peon for all I care. I just want back in."

Why the hell am I doing this? Why am I being such a spineless fool in front of this girl? Is this all for her love? Am I doing this to try and win Haruhi back, or am I really doing this for the sake of all that is reality?

"Acceptance denied."

Well, that's certainly a rel-

"What?!?"

"You heard me."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes, and glared at me like I was her ultimate nemesis.

"Are you kidding? Please tell me you're kidding, Haruhi. I'm being serious. I want to rejoin the Brigade."

"And I'm being serious too. I don't want you in the club anymore if you do something as stupid as quitting. When you walked out that door, you quit for good. As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer welcome in that room."

I was breaking inside. I couldn't believe what Haruhi was saying to me. This isn't Haruhi. She wouldn't tell me something like this. No. She would be jubilant that I wanted to come back. She would make me do some sort of bone-crushing labor as punishment, but she would want me back nonetheless. But this…person…this person isn't Haruhi at all!

"Please. I said I was sorry. Can't you just let me rejoin? I'll listen to your every command. Just let me back in, Haruhi." I asked her, my voice as sincere as I could possibly make it. I almost couldn't believe what I was saying.

I was begging to her.

"I said no! Your time in my club is over. You made that decision when you quit. This conversation is over. Goodbye, Kyon!"

Haruhi shouted those words in what sounded like anger, and before I knew it, she had slammed the door in my face. I was left standing there, completely and utterly dumbfounded.

I could have knocked again, but that would have probably earned me a punch in the face.

So I turned around, and began to walk aimlessly, my mind more mixed up than Picasso's _Guernica_.

So this is it, huh? I was out of the Brigade, and it sounds like Haruhi didn't like me so much anymore. Whatever chance I had with her is probably down the drain. Now that she's more normal, droves of guys will probably start going after her like they used to. And who's to say Koizumi wouldn't be a part of those droves? God, I almost couldn't believe this.

I sighed heavily; realizing that laughing, crying or getting mad would do nothing to help the situation. I only had one thought on my mind, and one thought only.

What exactly have I done?

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**Yes. That one line is referencing Oruki from Jonbob's "Meet The Suzumiyas". And yes. I got permission to do it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, I just couldn't seem to keep you all waiting for long this time around. The amount of reviews has empowered me to write the next chapter much earlier than I thought I would. It was really hard to write, so I hope you guys enjoy it! Next up, the intensity of this story rises! Stay tuned, and enjoy!**

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I couldn't believe that for once in my high school life, I actually had free time after school.

Yes, it's quite a wonder, considering that most of my school afternoons had involved Haruhi and the SOS Brigade. There was never any time for me to actually go home after school, because that crazy girl always had something relatively ludicrous planned for those precious hours.

When I thought back to that Monday morning about three weeks ago, two days after I was officially out of the Brigade, I could still remember the one thought running through my head.

I really didn't want to go to school that morning.

I wanted to just lie in my bed, stare up at the ceiling, and wish that someone would just strike me down with a Hyper Combo Finish already. Of course, my death wish never came true.

I still had trouble grasping the facts before me. It's been over a good three weeks now since Haruhi Suzumiya told me that I had been barred from rejoining her SOS Brigade. Three weeks since I almost found myself begging to this god of a girl, all because I wanted to prove that I could rectify a problem that I caused.

Who knows if that's the real reason for what I did, because none of this would have ever happened if I just hadn't broken up with Haruhi. Things would have been much different if I just hadn't let my own ego overtake me during our time in that game all those months ago. All it would have taken is me having kept my mouth shut, instead of telling Haruhi off like I did.

Thinking back on these things as I walked to school on this Thursday morning, I sighed deeply. There was no point in trying to blame Haruhi for it all. There was no point in crying, or getting angry, or delving into another bout of depression. No, I would be keeping my emotions in check, unlike my former Brigade Chief. I would do what I always do best, and that would be just dealing with the deck of cards handed to me. It didn't matter if that deck had five Kuribohs dealt into it instead of five face cards, I would still deal it nonetheless.

The days have just passed by so slowly in my perspective, and I felt slower that usual as well. It was like my life decided to enter a tunnel of tar, and everything began to just stick to me and impede me. When my days with the SOS Brigade ended, I had almost considered the notion of Haruhi wiping me out of existence to not be such a bad thing at all.

I had barely seen Nagato, Asahina-san or Koizumi for all of those three weeks. The reality of the situation had hit me like a ton of bricks.

But all that was the past now. I had found a way to cope during my SOS-less afternoons. I should actually thank Nagato for it. She might have assisted me indirectly for all I know, but it was still a huge help.

I've been reading again. And believe it or not, I've been reading just about all the science fiction books I can get my hands on. You name it; I've probably read it by now. It started with _Dune_, then it went on to T_en Billion Days and a Hundred Billion Nights, Into The Mountains of Madness, The Sun Usurper, The Lords of the Sands of Time_…it's insane how many of these books I've been able to just pick up and read on any given afternoon. And do not even get me started on all the manga I've been reading on top of that.

And you know what? As much as it's helped me, I only realized a week later that I had been reading all these books because they were providing me with the thing that I had been missing most. They all had different outlooks in them, different settings of existence. Most of the ideas were bizarre and crazy in comparison to a normal world. In the middle of reading _Starship Troopers_, I finally figured it all out.

The attachment I had to the books was not out of interest for science fiction. The attachment was really all related to Haruhi.

And as much as I was trying my best to let it all go, the truth of the matter was that I didn't think I would be able to live a normal life again, without Haruhi being a part of it.

But tell me how you win the favor of a girl who seemed to despise you? In fact, I was still a little surprised that I haven't just vanished yet. Perhaps Haruhi had been merciful for once.

No…she wasn't merciful at all. I saw the proof for myself when during the sports festival.

I had no real enjoyment in the events I had been forced to participate in during the day of the sports festival. Frankly, I lost just about all of them, and even Taniguchi was surprised at my utter lack of enthusiasm when I ended up failing miserably in one of the many relay races planned for the day.

And even though I was out of the SOS Brigade, Haruhi still managed to push the club to victory in most of the events they had been in anyway. Clearly, it didn't matter if I was in it or not. Haruhi had been able to get along just fine without me. And when she did notice me, I had been sitting on the bleachers as the rest of our class (mostly Taniguchi) complained about having to run in yet another relay race. While I had a bored and indifferent look on my face, all she did was glare at me.

I had wished that the day of the sports festival was the day that I had contracted a very high fever. It was a huge disappointment to me when my wish did not come true.

And now, we unfortunately approach to the current day, where I was still in the process of walking to school, trying my best to not think of the big event that would be happening today.

But as usual, I miserably failed in trying not to think about the day ahead. Today was the day of the cultural festival. And I really wasn't all that excited for it.

When November had hit, it felt like someone had slapped me on the face with a cold fish. The warmer months before this one had been so much more comfortable, but now I could feel the wind chill constantly attacking me on my most recent hikes to school

And despite my foolish attempts to not think about Haruhi or her Brigade, I was still subject to listening to her while I was in class. She might not have been sitting behind me anymore, but I got to hear her all the things she had to say to us last week regarding the festival occurring today…

"Well, I've finalized the plan for the cultural festival next week, everyone. All you need to know is that all of you are in charge of handing out water bottles and refreshments to people in the auditorium on the day of the festival."

"And just what kind of event are we planning, Suzumiya?"

"That's for me to know and for you all to find out!"

That is what Haruhi told the entire class last week. And today was officially judgment day. You know what one of the saddest things for me has been since I left the Brigade? I've been deprived from Asahina-san's tea for all this time. If I had any actual depression, I would have attributed it to that. But as of last week, I had decided that depression was useless.

After a solid hour of thinking the entire situation through, I had been able to figure out exactly why Haruhi hadn't decided to destroy me yet. To be plain and simple, I concluded that she just wanted me to suffer.

I thought about the notion for quite a bit. If I had been erased from this universe, then Haruhi wouldn't be able to see that I was not in fact going to the club room after school. She would be able to constantly see the expressions on my face, all of which showed no signs of actual happiness. I may not have been completely saddened, but it's safe to say that I have been very, very apathetic.

There was a reason to why I wasn't just gone yet. The old Haruhi was more forward with everything she did, and she usually shouted out her goals in your face. Unfortunately, this new Haruhi has showed traits that I had never seen in her before. Haruhi had figured out how to make me jealous, how to make emotionally suffer, and most of all, how to do those things in the most devious ways possible. This was truly the most manipulative I've ever seen her.

Where's the Haruhi I remembered? Was she locked in some sort of psi-prison inside the brain of this new Haruhi? What had happened to cause this girl to become so mentally-confused?

When I arrived at school, I could see that the set-up for the cultural festival was nearing completion. All down the hallways, students were organizing the classrooms into various restaurants and cafes, and I assumed that most of the clubrooms were being transformed in a similar manner.

I should be excited about today. If I was lucky, I might be able to stop by Asahina-san's class, where she would no doubt be serving fried soba just like last year's festival. Her irresistible costume could very well brighten up my gray day, and make my apathetic mood go away in a flash.

But just knowing that I'd have to be a part of whatever Haruhi was planning for today was more than enough to dash my hopes of being able to pay a visit to Asahina-san's fried soba café.

It was still a bit early, but once most of the clubs and classrooms finished setting up, people would come flocking in no time.

Haruhi said she would need everyone at the auditorium at approximately three o'clock in the afternoon and our jobs would entail being in charge of handing out refreshments and water bottles while she "got everything set up on stage." She hadn't really told us what she planned on doing, nor did she inform us for what reason.

Nevertheless, I did remember her mentioning that supposed trip to Mt. Fuji multiple times, and I had wondered multiple times if what we were doing was related to that in some way, shape or form.

What the hell? I might as well find a way to kill time before I'm forced to work for Haruhi just like the rest of our class. It's just a real downer that I can't go see Asahina-san in her soba café costume. That was one of the things I had been excited about all year!

"Yo, Kyon! Over here!"

Taniguchi's voice echoed down the hallway easily, probably due to the fact that the hallways were relatively empty right now. The hustle and bustle that accompanied the cultural festival probably wouldn't start for another hour. It was still early, and I should have just slept in.

"You look terrible." Taniguchi commented when I reached the end of the hall where he and Kunikida waited. Last year, I had spent only part of the cultural festival roaming around with these two.

"Thanks for the compliment." I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster, hoping to God that Taniguchi got it. He just grimaced, and turned back to Kunikida.

"Maybe you're just sick." Kunikida said, with actual concern in his voice. I didn't really like it however, because it felt like I was being pitied.

"I'm fine."

"I hope so." Taniguchi said, his sentence almost ending in a laugh. I didn't even give him the pleasure of hearing my response. Not that it would have been too nice anyway.

And so, I spent the next few hours wandering around North High with Taniguchi and Kunikida, which was actually a little better than I thought it would be. Well, save for the topic that Taniguchi seemed to be stuck on the whole time…

"You know, I never thought the day would come where guys in this school would actually be into Suzumiya again. You'd think that the girl would have thought of being like the rest of us earlier in her high school career, so she could have these hordes of guys after her all the time." Taniguchi said, gulping down a mouthful of teriyaki chicken he had acquired from class 1-3.

"I heard about that. She's becoming just as popular as Asahina-san now, right?" Kunikida asked, while I remained completely silent. I figured they could talk all they wanted about Haruhi, as long as they didn't have me involved.

"You bet she is! I hear that people are fighting over who the better looking girl is. If you ask me, I would probably have to give Suzumiya my vote."

"Hey! What's all the voting about?" someone asked in a cute voice, and Tsuruya-san had somehow appeared before us from around a corner. She looked a lot happier and more energetic than usual.

Even in my mostly apathetic mood, I could not resist partially smiling at the expression on Taniguchi's face. He looked ready to wet his pants right now, and I thought it served him right.

"Uh…we were talking about the Prime Minister! I said…that one guy…I'd give him my vote! You know…Mr…Suzuki!"

Tsuruya-san looked at Taniguchi for a moment with curiosity in her eyes. I wondered if she actually thought he might be lying, and I also wondered why I even bothered to care.

Tsuruya-san just smiled at her idiot boyfriend, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek instead of punching in the face like I kind of hoped she would. She turned her attention to me and Kunikida, yapping like an excited dog.

"You guys should stop by our class's soba café laters! We got some yummy fried soba nyoro~!"

I wish Tsuruya-san. Unfortunately, I was going to have to be handing out water bottles to disgruntled people very soon. Trust me now when I said that I would have traded whatever was left of my soul to see you and Asahina-san in those costumes again.

"Kyon and I have to do stuff for Suzumiya. I'm still pissed about the whole thing." Taniguchi replied, with genuine annoyance in his voice.

Somehow, I felt for this guy right now.

"I'll see if I can stop by. I might have to do some things as well." Kunikida commented, and Tsuruya-san just gave us another smile.

"Awww…well that's sad. I hope you guys have fun with Haruhi-nyan then!"

Tsuruya-san turned like a top, running down the hall as she waved back to us.

"Bye Tani-kun!"

It took me a few seconds before I noticed that Tsuruya-san kind of failed to say goodbye to myself and Kunikida. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but almost snicker at what she had just called Taniguchi. When I was being this indifferent, anything slightly amusing was a very good thing.

"Tani-kun?" Kunikida said, laughing under his breath. Taniguchi just grimaced at him like he was insulting his religion.

"Shut up…" he replied with a heavy sigh. I almost laughed at that point.

After that, I found myself wandering away from Taniguchi and Kunikida, who had other things they wanted to do that didn't appeal to me at all. Instead, I decided I would just walk around the school and pretend like I was genuinely interested in the festival today. I had no idea who I would run into when I decided to pass by the SOS Brigade clubroom.

"It's been quite awhile." Koizumi said from inside the clubroom. I could see him sitting in his usual chair, the door to the room left wide open. He was the only person occupying the room at the moment.

"A solid three weeks without the Brigade. I thought of it more as a vacation."

My response was nothing more than a blatant lie.

Koizumi laughed under his breath as I took a seat. I almost forgot. He always seemed to have a knack at seeing through whatever I said to him.

"I would suggest being a little more honest, Kyon-kun. It would make a situation like this a lot easier."

"Situation? I'm out of Haruhi's club, she hates me, and the universe hasn't collapsed on itself yet. Not to mention that the girl has gone mad considering her newfound normalcy. Don't you think the situation is just a little difficult at this point?" I stated, but Koizumi smiled, giving me the impression that this was all some sort of practical joke to him.

"Well, a lot of it doesn't surprise me, but I do know that Suzumiya-san is far from hating you right now. In fact, it's times like these where you can see proof of just how much she actually cares for you."

What?

"Well, of course she does. I mean, why else would she want to just kick me out of the SOS Brigade? I'm sure it's all because she cares so much about me! That's got to be it!" I replied, with my voice just a little too loud.

My sarcasm was rising rapidly now, because all the things Koizumi was spouting at me seemed beyond ridiculous. Haruhi's been a nasty human being to me ever since the beginning of summer, and I was having serious trouble believing what this esper was telling me right now.

"Think about it, Kyon-kun. Suzumiya-san probably overheard us on our little boat excursion. What do you think she heard us saying?"

I sighed. Clearly, Koizumi intended to come up with some logical and coherent reason why Haruhi was acting like this. He just couldn't accept that she just might be too crazy for her own good. He's probably got the hots for her! This esper bastard is trying to justify her evils because he probably wants to get with her! Damn it! Now I was acting paranoid!

"What's your point?" I asked quickly, as I was having a little trouble paying attention to Koizumi when images of him and Haruhi making out were running through my head.

"This is her way of showing you her disapproval of your separation. Suzumiya-san probably never agreed to herself that she was finished with you once the two of you actually ended your relationship. She may have told you that, but from what we've seen so far, it is likely that she is not content with being separated from you. She needs something to satiate her, and I've begun to assume that watching you suffer like this is probably that very thing."

It's a wonder that Koizumi was able to say all this like it was completely normal. I still had trouble grasping it. Haruhi lying to me was one thing, but Haruhi lying to me like this is another completely. Now I was beginning to become agitated.

"Haruhi's being an idiot! What kind of goal does she expect to accomplish? All she's been doing is making me miserable, and she expects that to make me come crawling back to her? What the hell did I do to make all this happen?" I shouted suddenly, my stress limit having come to a breaking point. I hadn't seen Koizumi in quite awhile, so all this being dumped on me at once was a little too much for me to handle.

Koizumi looked up at me, as if all the answers were in his mind, and he refused to share them with me. I had no idea what was the original cause of all this. Did he?

"I wonder…"

What do you wonder? Tell me!

"Have you ever had a strong desire for a more normal relationship?"

My mind stopped when Koizumi said that. Of course, I had always been thinking about such things. You couldn't blame me for wanting something badly. A normal, stable relationship with a girl was something that I wanted dearly. I remember wishing that there were more normal girls in my life, back at Tsuruya-san's slumber party in the summ-

Wait. You've got to be kidding me!!!

"Hold on a second. Even if I did have that desire, and even if I felt it strongly, I never recalled mentioning it to Haruhi ever. There's no way she would know about it."

Clearly, I was just trying to come up with a reason why Haruhi somehow wouldn't be able to read my thoughts. It was just too scary to think about the possibility of her being able to.

Koizumi shook his head as if I was a simpleton. He narrowed his eyes, and spoke in a more serious tone than before.

"You forget this is Suzumiya-san we're dealing with. There is and has always been some sort of invisible bond between you, and because of this. Suzumiya-san has subconsciously figured out your desires. I almost can't believe it myself. It's fascinating to think that she can react to your thoughts themselves."

I couldn't believe this. This seemed more unbelievable than Gamera becoming the president of Indonesia. Am I hearing Koizumi right, or is their cataclysmic interference? He's telling me that the only reason Haruhi is like this, the only reason she wants to be "normal", the only reason she's dead set on making my existence a living hell, is because of one stray thought of mine? Has my mind suddenly become an open book to her? Is my freedom going down the drain?

My brain started to hurt, and I felt a painful squeeze on my stomach. I think I needed a break right now.

"Alright, I'm done. This is way too much for me to absorb, and I should probably be at the auditorium by now anyway."

To be honest, this was just my way of avoiding the situation. I didn't want to hear anymore of this "Haruhi can read my mind" theory, and it scared me a little bit that Koizumi seemed excited by the whole thing.

"Suit yourself." Koizumi said to me, as he shrugged with a smile on his face. I had already begun walking out of the clubroom at this point.

"You know sooner or later you're going to have to deal with this problem. I don't think you'd like to even hear the closed space situation right now, but all I will tell you is that if this is left unchecked, everything will end up getting much worse. Suzumiya-san shouldn't be acting like this. It's contradicting the world she's responsible for creating."

I stopped at the door, wondering if I should give Koizumi a response. Everything he was saying was completely true. And I couldn't even admit to him how much I wanted the old Haruhi back. I went silent, and without another word, finally left the vicinity of the clubroom.

Even with all the confused thoughts in my head, the large number of people gathering the auditorium almost seemed like a relief. Middle school students, parents, and lots of other people flocked to take a seat in the huge auditorium of North High.

Our class had been tasked by Haruhi to hand out water bottles and snacks to everyone that came inside. I still couldn't figure out why we were doing this, but Haruhi wasn't even present when I arrived to do the job she gave us. So, I was a bit relieved that I couldn't hear myself think, and I just pulled off a Nagato in handing water bottles out to everyone who wanted one.

I really didn't want to be thinking much right now. Everything just seemed to become a lot more stressful.

After awhile, it seemed like we had run out of things to hand out, and Haruhi still hadn't shown herself to us. The stage curtains were closed, blocking our view of what could possibly be going on back there. I could see one thing however, and it was a row of about nine glass jars situated in front of the stage. What exactly did she plan on doing with those?

"Where the hell is Suzumiya? I feel misinformed here!" Taniguchi complained, crossing his arms in discontent.

You think you're misinformed, Taniguchi? Think again.

Finally, the curtains separated, and there stood Haruhi, a black guitar in her hand. She was wearing her black bunny outfit, and behind her, I could see what looked like Nagato, dressed in a witch outfit, holding a clean white guitar. In addition, I could see two men behind her, one on drums and one holding a bass guitar. Judging from a past experience of mine, I kind of figured what was going to be happening next.

For a moment, the entire auditorium grew silent. Maybe they were waiting for them to start playing, or maybe they were just staring at Haruhi in her bunny suit. Damn, she's almost always hot when she has that on…

And as if my inappropriate thought of Haruhi were meant to be interrupted, they began to play, with Haruhi playing the opening chord.

Not to my surprise, it took them only a few seconds to really get into it. Like last year with ENOZ, Nagato seemed to play all the guitar parts perfectly, and Haruhi's voice couldn't have sounded better. The song itself was catchy and pretty well written, so it helped with mood a little bit.

I still had no idea who these two guys were, and why they were playing alongside Nagato and Haruhi. Nevertheless, they were both played their respective instruments like experts, complimenting Haruhi's voice and Nagato's amazing guitar skills.

And so, I managed to enjoy the song they performed, enough to almost forget about my short discussion with Koizumi. For those four minutes of music, I was able to almost forget just about everything. I almost forgot about all the strange events from the summer, my growing jealously, and even the fact that I had been kicked out of the Brigade. For those four minutes, I actually felt just a little happy. Happier than I've been for weeks.

By the time the song was reaching its end, the crowd was going wild. Haruhi must have planned a lot this beforehand, and it was at this point in time that I realized why all those glass jars were in front of the stage. Even when they finished the song, and Haruhi was readying to speak to everyone in the auditorium, people were already beginning to drop yen bills and coins into the jars.

"I hope you all enjoyed that. It's called "First Good-Bye", and it was quite the challenge to sing. I think I did a pretty decent job, but a lot of the applause should go to Yuki Nagato and our bassist and drummer. Actually, it's a confusing story of why these two are playing with us. Anyway, I want to thank Matsumara-san for playing the bass guitar and Ozawa-san for being on drums. The both of them are doing us a huge favor by playing with us today, so I think they deserve a big round of applause!"

The audience responded almost immediately, and a wave of applause erupted throughout the auditorium. My thoughts were drowned out in the noise, but something began to bug me as I glanced at the drummer. Somewhere…I could have sworn I recognized him from somewhere…from some band…

I sighed. It was probably just a sad coincidence.

"Oh! If you're wondering why we have all these collection jars, then I'll tell you that they're for an upcoming trip that I've been planning for some of our classes this weekend. I really want to have a few classes go all the way to Mt. Fuji for a two-day trip, and we would really appreciate if you just donated something so we could possibly get to go.

I see. I think I was beginning to understand what this was all about. Haruhi must have had this planned for awhile. She probably figured that she could get all these people to watch her perform like this, and then she would be able to pull the pity card and get them all to donate money so she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of asking the school for it.

"And we're not done yet! We still have time to play our hearts out, so listen up everyone!"

With those words, Ozawa-san started the drum beat, followed by the thumping sound of Matsumura-san's bass. I could already see that Haruhi had captured the hearts and minds of all the people in this auditorium. If I had been in the mood, I would have applauded Haruhi for her genius move.

For the next twenty minutes, Haruhi and her band played one song after the other. I believed that the order of songs after First Good-Bye were Super Driver, Sorario Days, Tomare!, and finally ending with a song that I actually knew. Haruhi sang all the songs like a regular seiyū, and not much to my surprise, Nagato played all the guitar parts with the efficiency and perfection of a supercomputer. It was only at the end of their performance, when they played Shissou, that I realized why these two guys were so good at their instruments.

Both of them were members of the band Last Alliance. And I only realized that when I listened to just how perfectly they played their parts in the last song.

How the hell did you happen to convince these guys to play with you, Haruhi? Is there a reason why you didn't just introduce them as members of the band? You'd probably get a lot more glory if you mentioned that to everyone here.

Nevertheless, the applause after the last song was loud enough to break a few windows, and it didn't take long until lines of people were gathering in front of those collection jars. I timed it to be about fifteen minutes before most of the jars were halfway full with yen bills and coins.

I think this meant that the trip to Mt. Fuji this weekend was most definitely on, despite the fact that Haruhi has yet to give anyone any details on it. Either way, I assumed she'll find a way to inform us anyway.

"Wow."

Taniguchi said that single statement next to me as people continued to line up in front of the collection jars, and he sounded very impressed. On stage, Haruhi had a big, but nearly devious, smile on her face.

"I think I have to really hand it to Suzumiya. She pulled through for all of us. I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't seeing it in front of me. She really has changed…"

I didn't really want to stay and hear what else Taniguchi had to say. Instead, I found myself heading towards the door out of the auditorium. I just wanted to go home and sleep now, and try to just go back to be apathetic. Being like that was so much easier.

Ah, Taniguchi. If only you knew what kind of stuff I go through on a daily basis. In fact, I bet you would have probably killed yourself by now if you were in my situation.

Maybe that's a testament to my willpower, or maybe it's a testament to my insanity. But who cares? Haruhi definitely doesn't.

Why the hell do I still bother? When someone can come up with that answer, I promise you that I'll legally change my name to John Smith. Then maybe I'll move to the United States and forget all about Haruhi.

Yeah, I wish.


	12. Chapter 12

**Yo people! The newest chapter has arrived. This marks the start of the final arc of this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! It was quite the challenge to write. And yes, Eikino-san is my first attempt at a decent OC. Enjoy!**

**_______________________________________________________________________________________________________**

Someone please tell me something. Exactly why was I doing this again?

At this point, even I didn't know. Some force was driving me toward my destination, which was specifically North High. But allow me backtrack just a little bit so I make a little more sense.

Today was Friday, November 20th. On this very day, Haruhi Suzumiya successfully planned for three classrooms worth of North High's student body to attend a two-day trip to the infamous Mt. Fuji. Well, if you want to be specific, we were actually going to be visiting Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, as well as nearby Tokyo.

Because of her utter success at this year's cultural festival, Haruhi was able to raise about 75% of the funds she would need to make the trip possible. The rest was given by the school, mostly out of thanks, since they'd been flooded with applications for enrollment since the festival.

All in all, everything seemed to be going exactly Haruhi's way, or at least partially. From her success in the cultural festival, to the fact that she's been asked out at least six times since yesterday (from what I've heard in rumors and hearsay). As for me…

I was actually better than I've been for a long time. It's hard to think that I could become so calm and carefree this easily. In fact, I was stressed beyond my limit only yesterday, walking out on Koizumi when he started going on about the possibility that Haruhi could be subconsciously reading my thoughts and desires.

But I decided that I needed to give myself a break. I've been focusing on something so fiercely, and frankly, it's affecting my personality. I was never like this before I met Haruhi. I never dwelt in bouts of apathy and depression like this. I was just your average high school guy, part of the huge storybook that made up the normal world. But as you might have noticed, things radically change when the author of that said book is Haruhi Suzumiya. Things end up changing quite a bit.

But enough about that. The point is that I was currently in the best mood I've been in for weeks. Part of it was because I was kind of actually excited about the upcoming trip.

Initially, I didn't think that Haruhi actually had a plan concerning all the details about this trip of hers. In fact, I figured that she would just assume everyone knew that the destination for everyone to meet was going to be the back parking lot of North High. I was very wrong however, and Haruhi took the time to send out a mass e-mail to all the people belonging to classes signed up for the trip. However, it was no secret that Haruhi had chosen four classes specifically, which were Nagato's, Koizumi's, Asahina-san's, and ours.

Basically, Haruhi informed us all of the meeting time, the meeting place, what exactly we would be doing on this trip, what we needed to bring, and when we would be getting back on Sunday via e-mail. For something related to Haruhi, it was surprisingly clear and concise, and someone could actually read the damn thing and make sense out of it. In short, it kind of scared me a little bit. The Haruhi I once knew was becoming nothing more than a fractured memory.

Straying away from that topic, I figured walking to North High would be a good idea, and it would allow me some relaxation before I had to deal with the physical incarnation of Orochi that was our class representative. I was wrong. I felt like I was being chilled to the bone.

After a few minutes of walking around the school, and feeling like I was pacing through the summit of Everest itself, I spotted a large group of people gathered by the curb of the large faculty parking lot located at the back of North High. Most of them were wearing winter clothes, and I cursed myself for not thinking to wear a warmer jacket.

"Look who decided to finally show up!"

I didn't need to go searching through the crowd to know that unmistakable voice. I guessed Haruhi was in a pissed off mood and figured she would just take it out on me. I don't know what the hell she could be pissed off about though. It's not like life isn't completely going her way.

"Good morning, Suzumiya-san." I said jokingly, not wanting to give Haruhi the satisfaction of seeing me sad. Instead, I feigned happiness and pretended like seeing her was the best part of my day. It was all I could do to keep my sanity around her at this point.

"It's a good thing you got here, Kyon. All Suzumiya's been talking about is how long you were keeping us waiting." Taniguchi commented loudly from within the crowd of waiting people, much to my annoyance. I eyed the empty parking lot in front of me, having already seen the obvious.

"Because I can tell that the buses are already here. I'm sorry I took the extra five minutes in getting here."

It felt good to be this sarcastic. In fact, it felt really good.

"You better be sorry!"

"Now let's settle down, people. The buses should be here soon anyway, so there's no need for us to be at each others' throats before we even get to Tokyo." Okabe-sensei stated in a loud enough voice to catch everyone's attention. The man had ended up being the single adult chaperone for this trip, and I kind of felt sorry for the fact that he had to watch over this many teenagers at once. I would have certainly chickened out, but something tells me that he was "convinced" by Haruhi. There's no doubt she's capable of such a thing.

After that, Haruhi wore nothing but a sour face, and I remained relatively silent for the twenty minutes till the bus finally arrived. I actually tried to find Asahina-san, but her frail little figure must have blended among the rest of the people here. I assumed Nagato was reading in solitude, and I didn't really want to see Koizumi at the moment. The image of his smiling face just really seemed to be bugging me at the moment.

And so, I was happy to finally take a seat in one of the two coach buses that had finally arrived. Having woken myself up early to get to the school, my mind relaxed at the possibility that I might actually be able to take a long and well-deserved nap on this three hour ride to Tokyo. The prefecture the park was located in was far from here, and the only time I can recall ever visiting Tokyo was when I was around four or five. I can't really recall much about it, beyond remembering getting a nice Godzilla toy as a souvenir. I kind of missed my younger days from time to time.

From where I was sitting, I could see that Haruhi had taken a seat farther up in the front. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice me back here, so I guessed that I could just be ignored by her for the majority of the ride. Someone like Taniguchi would be more tolerable than Haruhi, especially for this long of a bus ride.

This was nice. I couldn't hear Haruhi's voice from this distance away, but I could see that she was talking to all the people behind her. Though I didn't spot Asahina-san yet, I felt happy when I realized that people around me were relatively quiet, and as the bus began to lurch to a start, my mind focused on one thought instantly.

Sleep. It's time to get some nice, uninterrupted, sle-

"Ah. There you are, Kyon-kun."

I looked up, and inner rage began to boil from within my soul. Koizumi was looking down at me, with a smile on his face that could put a clown to shame.

You bastard! You are not going to ruin my one chance to get some goddamn rest!

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you. I need to speak with you about some important matters actually. We've got a while till we arrive at out destination."

Goddamn it. Why now? Why not later? You want me to suffer for eternity, don't you Koizumi?

I sighed deeply. Honestly, I wouldn't be able to escape Koizumi's explanation even if I tried. Goodbye, rest and relaxation…

"I just wonder how you're going to be able to talk about this without attracting any attention. You do realize that we're on a full coach bus, right?" I asked the esper, who didn't even ask me if he could take the empty seat in front of him.

Koizumi sat down, and responded with a certainty in his voice.

"The two in front of us are both distracted by their music players, and the two behind us are colleagues of mine. Beyond staying quiet enough that Suzumiya-san wouldn't be able to hear from her seat, I assume that we should be fine with our discussion. And if anyone asks, I'll just tell them we're talking about a new role-playing game."

Both Koizumi's smile and the fact that he was making a bit of sense were bothering me quite a bit. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to listen to what he had to say. I looked out the window, watching the city buildings buzz past.

"Fine. What's wrong this time?"

"Well, quite a few things. Most importantly, I assume that you somewhat understand that the situation concerning Suzumiya-san and the stability of this universe is growing more problematic with each passing day."

I felt the urge to groan, but I held it in.

"Yeah, I know. It's all related to her not wanting to be eccentric anymore."

"You are correct. I've been speaking with some higher-ups in the Organization, and they've come to a conclusion that Suzumiya-san will continue to progressively change into a more normal human being with each day. Unfortunately, this change is more extreme than any of us could have been predicted, and it seems to be greatly affecting her mind."

Of course it is. Why else would she find a reason to bar me from the Brigade?

"The main reason seems to be that she's trying to rebuild the relationship that the two of you used to have. However, being still the Suzumiya-san we know, she's doing it in a way that most normal people wouldn't. And because of this, we've concluded that the many strange occurrences we've observed over the past summer break are proof that the universe is unraveling around her."

I looked at Koizumi, raising an eyebrow.

"So you're saying…that her being not normal is what essentially caused her to want to be normal? That's a huge contradiction, even for Haruhi."

Koizumi chuckled at me, leaning back a in his seat and crossing his arms.

"This is Suzumiya-san. You should have learned by now to expect the unexpected from her. But that's not so much the point. There is going to be a breaking point for her. It will be the point where she won't be able to mentally handle your separation any longer. At that point, we conclude that the universe will collapse on itself, transmuting reality itself into the same white void we encountered those months ago."

I was trying my best to absorb everything Koizumi was telling me. For one thing, it sounded like a lot of this had quite a bit to do with that white void. The same white void Nagato brought a few weeks ago, and the same white void where I confessed love for Haruhi. What the hell was that place?

"I'm guessing you won't tell me much more about this white space…"

"It's not information I can disclose to you at the moment. I apologize, Kyon-kun."

I figured. You know you could also apologize about keeping me awake with this explanation of yours, at least.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Someone had overheard us, or was overhearing us. I looked over Koizumi's shoulder, and I could see the question had come from Kunikida, who was in the window seat across from us. He looked curious all of a sudden. This was not a good thing.

I watched Koizumi smile, and I hoped he knew what he was doing.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I was just telling Kyon-kun here about this role-playing game that I was considering purchasing soon. It's got quite the interesting back-story."

"What's this game called? And what does it have to do with Suzumiya?" Kunikida asked, and I wished that he would just stop with the questions at that point.

"Well, I had asked her a while ago if she wanted to be the person who plays god in this specific game. She was very enthusiastic about it. I would tell you the name of it, but I honestly can't recall it." Koizumi answered, rubbing the back of his head in fake confusion.

Is that supposed to be believable? Nevertheless, Kunikida now looked satisfied, much to my relief.

"Could you tell me what it's called if you remember it? It sounds interesting."

"I will." Koizumi replied with a smile, ending the conversation between them.

After that whole explanation, I felt good in saying that now came the much needed silence.

"Koizumi-kun!"

And there it went with the wind.

Haruhi was standing in front of our seats, looking at Koizumi with a big smile on her face. I might be a little lazy with my school work, but don't mistaken me for an idiot. I could see right through Haruhi's ploy.

"Come sit with me! I need to talk to you about some things!" Haruhi stated, before grabbing Koizumi by the wrist and pulling him out of his seat. He kept the smile on his face as Haruhi dragged him away from me.

"We'll talk later then."

I looked at the window in disinterest.

"I guess we will."

Wow. That was kind of a pathetic attempt making me jealous. Maybe the fact that what Haruhi did is not so much affecting me is telling me something. Maybe I didn't need her as much as I thought I did.

Who the hell am I kidding? It's not so much of a question as it is a fact. I sighed to myself, leaning my head against the back of the seat, and closing my eyes. I deserved some sleep now. For the rest of this bus ride, I'd hopefully be able to forget the trials and tribulations of this crazy world.

It's safe to say that the rest I got on the bus was definitely necessary. And the only reason for that is because of how much walking we'd probably be doing for the rest of the day. It didn't sound like any fun. And that's without even mentioning the long walk that was necessary for just getting to the park from where the buses had dropped us off in the western side of the Yamanashi prefecture.

"Alright. We're all ready for today's hike!" Haruhi announced to the students gathered in front of her. Haruhi stood before all of us, almost as if she was our army general, and we were awaiting her orders. In a way, it was kind of like that. On her right side, Okabe-sensei remained silent, giving me the message that Haruhi was probably running this trip much more than he was.

And left to Haruhi, and elderly man dressed in khaki clothing stood, a strange expression of happiness on his face. He had half-moon glasses, and a head full of stringy gray hair. Behind him, we could see the trees that lay before the great Mt. Fuji, which towered above us in the far distance. I had always heard that this national park was nice, and not much to my surprise, it certainly seemed like it.

As stated in Haruhi's e-mail, most of us were dressed up in appropriate clothing for the outdoors. I didn't have any hiking boots for this trip, so I just put on the most comfortable and hardy shoes I could find. I hoped it was enough, but seeing Haruhi's clothes, and her expensive-looking hiking boots, I felt like it might not be.

"So who is this friend of yours, Haruhi-nyan?" Tsuruya-san asked from the front of the group. Haruhi smiled a little wide, glanced at the old man next to her as he began to speak.

"My name is Dejiaku Eikino-san. This young lady was in need of a guide for your excursion, and since the park is currently on its off-season for hiking, I decided I would volunteer as your group's guide." The old man replied, eyeing all of us as if we were ninjas on the verge of taking our examinations.

"We just had some amazing luck with finding him! I couldn't believe that he was the only one willing to do it during the park's off-season. And he doesn't even want to be paid either!" Haruhi told us enthusiastically, her voice just radiating happiness. I didn't know if it was actually genuine however.

Eikino-san shook his head, and spoke in a quiet, humble tone.

"I don't need the money. I've grown up with the wilderness here, so it's a pleasure for me to be able to trek it with some company. I do warn you however that there is a reason that most of our guides are unavailable. At this time of year, it's quite frigid."

I didn't like the sound of that at all. I wasn't really prepared for the cold. Come to think of it, I wasn't really prepared for any of this. Coming here might have been a mistake.

"But not to worry. It's only a problem at nightfall, and I'm sure that we'll get plenty of hiking in before sunset."

"And when we're done for today, I'll be treating all of you to dinner. There's a very nice restaurant in the Yamanashi prefecture that we'll probably be going to." Haruhi added, rousing up excitement in the formerly silent students. Besides the cold, this hike didn't sound so bad.

I figured that we'd go through the wilderness for awhile, and maybe climb some small hills or something. Eikino-san probably won't be able to do much more. In fact, if I can avoid getting on Haruhi's nerves, then maybe I could take this time to just relax a little.

That sounded like a nice thought already…

"Come on! Just a little farther up, and then we'll take a break. We're only a couple hundred feet above the base of the mountain."

I didn't think I would experience so much pain and exhaustion in one sitting. I had assumed that Eikino-san was a frail old man who would just want to take us on a stroll through the forest. I was very, very wrong with my judgment. He took us up just about every rocky hill he could find in this wilderness until we actually made our way to the base of the massive Mt. Fuji.

I was in a hell of a lot of pain right now, being one of the many people who were trudging up the path high above the ground below. The mountain itself was huge, and after the first two hours of this hiking, I had lost track of how long we've been going upward for.

As I continued hiking towards the higher ground ahead, I could see Eikino-san already standing there, smiling down at us as he put us through an equivalent to the Trail of Tears. I stopped for a moment, catching my breath and wondering why the hell I had decided to trust this man. Clearly, he was not in his right mind.

"This is too much…" Taniguchi said behind me, huffing like he had just run a marathon. I couldn't blame him for being so tired. I was just as exhausted, if not more so.

"It's just a little hiking. I don't see what all the fuss is about." said the old man, his eyes glinting.

Is he really this crazed? I'm starting to see how he and Haruhi could have possibly gotten along. He could be her grandfather at this point.

I looked to my side for a moment, and Nagato just walked past me slowly. She was keeping a perfect pace however, and not much to my surprise, she was reading a novel at the same time, her eyes not leaving the pages of her book despite the fact that she wasn't straying off the rocky path at all. It was quite amazing to watch, but it didn't make me feel any less exhausted.

"How the hell does she do that?" Taniguchi asked with a wheeze in his voice.

Trust me, Taniguchi. You do not want to know.

"That's what I'm talking about. See? It's not so hard." Eikino-san said as he watched Nagato finally walk up to where he was standing. Without a word, she stood next to him, and continued reading her book as she waited for us.

I would agree with you, Eikino-san, if I didn't know that Nagato was a humanoid interface practically immune to pain and discomfort.

I, on the other hand, felt terrible, and the cold bit me like a set of frost-encrusted jaws. Nevertheless, I pressed on, wondering if the same crazy force from earlier in the day was driving me again.

The feeling of drinking water in combination with sitting down was like heaven. I was sitting on large flat rock now, drinking from my water bottle, and enjoying every bit of it. We had been hiking for awhile, and it's safe to say that we were probably a five or six hundred feet above sea level by now. Right now, Eikino-san was allowing us to take a break on a ridge very high above the trees, and I thanked an assortment of gods that I didn't believe in for it.

I didn't think that I liked the idea of this trip anymore. If we were going to be doing this tomorrow as well, then I might want to be catching the next bus out of here.

As I drank from my water bottle, ignoring the cold air that whipped at me from time to time, I spotted Haruhi and Koizumi some distance away, and they were talking with one another in a close enough vicinity that I could clearly hear what they were saying.

"So what do you think, Koizumi-kun? Do you like movies like that?" Haruhi said with an excited tone of voice, and it sounded to me like she was alluding to something, and she was obviously doing it for my ears to hear.

"It depends. I'm not the biggest fan, but I wouldn't mind seeing it." Koizumi replied, and that just seemed to make Haruhi even happier. When I heard this, I almost felt like he needed to be punched for feeding her antics like this.

"So you think you'd want to see it with me when we get back on Sunday?"

Like I said before, I was no idiot. I knew exactly what Haruhi was trying to do, and despite my exhaustion at the moment, I was not going to be cajoled into being jealous. Instead, I turned around on my rock, with my back to them as I finished what was left of my water bottle.

Frankly, I didn't want to hear Koizumi's response. I got the feeling I wouldn't like it.

After finishing my water, I decided that I should go see if I could find Asahina-san now. At a time like this, where I was exhausted as hell, I figured her sweet voice and kind demeanor could rejuvenate my spirits unlike anything else. Tsuruya-san would suffice as well if I couldn't find the time traveler.

However, someone got in my way when I decided to get up from my rock and turn around. That someone was Haruhi, and she did not look happy.

"You're such an idiot, you know that?" she said to me with anger, her eyes glaring right into mine. I felt awkward all of a sudden, mostly because of how close we were to one another.

"What?"

"I said you're an idiot! I saw you eavesdropping on my conversation!" Haruhi shouted in my face, surprising me a little bit.

I backed away slightly as I tried to understand what exactly was going on with her. It seemed that the others were already gathering up near the beginning of one of the two paths that led out of this ridge. It sounded like he could hear the commotion Haruhi was causing, and like many of the students around him, he was looking back us, probably wondering what Haruhi was shouting about.

"What are you talking about? Could you stop making a scene so we can be done with this death march already?" I told Haruhi, but she didn't seem to want to back down. She was partially right when she accused me of eavesdropping, but this fuss she was making about it was a little too much.

"You know what I'm talking about! At least Koizumi-kun isn't so thick-headed like you are, Kyon! Maybe you should be more like him for once!"

Where was this all coming from? Was this the anger Haruhi was feeling towards me? Is this how she truly feels about our separation? Did she really think using Koizumi as a pawn in this game would work?

All these questions seemed to have multiple answers, but something else was on my mind at the moment. Haruhi's voice had gotten progressively louder, and I could have sworn that it felt like it was…a little too loud.

Something felt very wrong. The ground began to rumble slightly, and I could hear rolling thunder in my ears. I looked up, above Haruhi, where the mountainside stretched upwards, far into the summit. There, I saw something that I had a little trouble believing.

"It's a freaking avalanche!" Taniguchi yelled out in complete panic, and for once, he was very right. From above us, about a hundred or so feet away, I could see what looked like a torrential sea of snow coming down at us with the speed of freight train.

We weren't even high enough to constitute it being that cold, so seeing snow at this elevation was just ridiculous, even in November. Nevertheless, everything around me seemed to go a little too fast as the snow approached.

I didn't really see what everyone else was doing, mostly because I had become very preoccupied with the situation in front of me. Haruhi was still looking at me with an angry expression, even as my eyes grew wide at the approaching avalanche. From where we were at the moment, it would spell death for us to be swept away by all this snow.

"Are you listening to me? I said listen to me!" Haruhi shouted at me, finally losing her temper and grabbing me by the collar. The snow continued to barrel towards us, and Haruhi remained oblivious to the situation. It was only about thirty feet away now, and I had to act fast. I did the only thing I could think of for the time I had at hand.

"Run, you idiot!"

I grabbed Haruhi's hand without thinking, and began to move my legs like pistons. The snow was approaching fast, and ahead, I could see that the crowd of people was running away from where the avalanche hit. Haruhi didn't try to pull away from me as we ran, but my heart began to beat rapidly when I saw just how close the snow was. I looked at the spot only thirty feet from us, and realized that there was no way we would make it.

As the sea of cold snow threatened to engulf us, I turned swiftly, catching Haruhi in an embrace. I didn't know what kind of expression Haruhi was wearing when I practically hugged her, but didn't really care. I held Haruhi tight, and then I felt the impact.

When the avalanche hit us, I tried my best to take the brunt of the force with my own body. If it had been a landslide, we would have both been dead at impact. Now, there were only two outcomes of this situation. One was my own death, and the other my continued life. At the moment, I didn't think about which one was going to be the one that occurred.

It's strange. Holding Haruhi like this, be it in a life or death situation, was a nice thing. It felt like something I had been missing for awhile. Even as my vision turned white, and my skin began to feel the sting of cold snow, I still felt a little warm inside. I think I heard someone say my name before I felt the snow cover my head.

Why did I have this sudden urge to protect her? That just becomes yet another unanswered question among many.

You know, when I thought about it, I realized that there was one thing I should have realized awhile ago, and maybe none of this would have ever happened. It's so simple, and I even remember telling myself how bad of an idea it was.

I think I got it completely now, at least before I could feel myself losing consciousness.

Breaking up with Haruhi? Big mistake.


	13. Chapter 13

**And the new chapter has arrived, everyone! This one is full of lots and lots of fluffy stuff, so I hope you enjoy it! As you can see, the depression and torment Kyon is going through is beginning to wane, but it's not over yet! Hope you enjoy! :D**

**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

I didn't really get it. I was this close to safety. I could have closed the distance between myself and the others, and there was a possibility that I could have made it far enough that the avalanche of snow wouldn't have plowed into me. I could have done it, but I didn't.

Why didn't I do it, you ask? Well, I have only one answer to your question.

Haruhi Suzumiya.

Yes. Once again, I have risked life and limb for that crazy girl. Once again, I have put myself in harm's way all for her sake. Why am I doing this? Please, will some obscure god just tell me already why I've continued to subject myself to this kind of insanity, all for one crazy, eccentric, overbearing and stubborn high school girl?

In the darkness of my thoughts, I've subconsciously waited. As common sense and rational thought dictated, I didn't get any answer to my question. Perhaps asking these kinds of things and debating about them in my mind has gotten really old by now.

But why did I save Haruhi when I could have just saved myself? There I went again, having asked myself yet another question.

Damn you, Haruhi! Make life easier for me, won't you? How's about you just tell me something along the lines of… "I've been really naughty, Kyon. Give me a penalty NOW!".

No! Now is not the time for perverted thoughts! I'm supposed to be focusing on why I saved Haruhi, not what this teenage body wants from her!

What's the point? Why must I keep avoiding the answer? I wasn't an idiot, and I certainly wasn't oblivious of my own thoughts. I knew exactly why I saved Haruhi. The answer was clearer than a cloudless day.

I still loved her.

My lungs seemed to burst to life. I was breathing before, sure, but now I could actually feel my chest heaving, along with the terrible sensation of cold that was all over every part of my exposed skin. My muscles started working again, and my vision followed as well, although upon opening my eyes, I felt the cold sensation on them as well.

I was clearly alive, although a bit freezing right now. Since I didn't really want to freeze to death anytime soon, I began to move as quickly as I could, pushing with all my might against the snow that was currently covering me.

Unfortunately, I had no idea where the hell I was concerning up and down, so you couldn't blame me for being suddenly disoriented. With time against me, I thought of doing the only thing I could think of to find my direction. Though it was disgusting, I tried my best to spit, and to my surprise, I felt it drip down to my chin. Ignoring the gross factor, I figured out which way was up, and I began to apply pressure with my body.

I felt the white powder moving and dispersing as my arms shoved against it, and the same thing happened around my legs. The snow was packed, but luckily not enough that I would have been trapped in a white coffin. Instead, I could begin to feel it breaking, and soon, my right hand was reaching out into the open air, while the rest of my body pushed upwards against the snow holding me down with all its might.

I heard the sound of something flying apart, though it was a soft noise.

My arms, along with my upper torso, emerged from that snowy prison, and it wasn't long before the rest of my body followed. The warmth of the air hit me instantly, but it only took me a few seconds to realize that it wasn't actually all that warmer outside of the snow. Not to mention how dark it was outside.

Want me to be specific? My hands were blackish outlines. I couldn't see much of anything. And because of that, I had a feeling finding Haruhi might not be the easiest thing, at least if she even survived this in the first place.

I thought about that notion for a moment. Of course she survived. I've learned by now that her death would most likely cause the end of everything. So the fact that I'm here means she's still kicking. And that means I should probably find her before she freezes to death. I gulped in fear. This isn't going to be easy…

The skin on my fingers felt like it was being slowly bitten over and over again. Well, that could be a bit of an exaggeration, but digging through snow without gloves is sure as hell cold!

I had to do it though. I had to find Haruhi before she ended up becoming a human popsicle, because if that happened…

I gulped, and just dug into the surrounding snow faster. I took it out in fistfuls, throwing the packed white powder behind me as I struggled to blindly find Haruhi. None of this was exactly simple or easy. It was dark and cold, and I didn't even know if Haruhi was anywhere near here. The only thing I knew was that she was alive, but for all I know, all the snow from the avalanche could have very well carried her somewhere else entirely.

I didn't know, but I didn't care either. I just kept digging like a mole, hoping that I would somehow find my former Brigade Chief in this mess.

Former? No! She's still my Brigade Chief! I'm still a member of the SOS Brigade, no matter what kind of idiocy Haruhi has running through her head!

When I find her, I was going to tell her that I want back in the club, and there's nothing she can do about it! That's right! I was going to force myself back into the Brigade! Let's see her just try and stop m-

All of a sudden, something broke my thought process. One of my hands, having been searching around for any sign of Haruhi, finally came upon something deep in the snow, and that something felt…very warm.

I didn't initially have any idea what the hell it was. I just felt something warm in my palm, and it felt soft too. So, being curious and practically blind at the same time, I decided to reach deeper, so that maybe I could see just what the hell this thing I was feeling was.

I heard what sounded like a low moan in the snow. It sounded like Haruhi. Did I find her?

As if whatever underneath the snow was actually a deadly predator, a hand seemed to shoot out. I couldn't see it very well, but something told me it was Haruhi when I felt like my arm was being crushed between two iron jaws. Haruhi's grip was ridiculously strong, and before I knew it, I had pulled away from whatever I had been feeling before underneath.

"PERVERT!" she nearly screamed, and I saw a black outline of a person bursting out of the snow that I had been digging in, causing a lot of the white powder to spray out into the air around us. I guessed my reaction time wasn't very good, or I didn't really expect this situation to happen, because I didn't do too much to get out of her way.

In the next few seconds that followed, Haruhi kind of just barreled into me, and we both went tumbling backwards into the snow. She was like a wild animal right now, and I felt like the poor rabbit that she had decided to pounce upon. She was a little too much for me, actually. Please ignore any and all undertones in that sentence.

"What the hell?!?" I stated as we finally stopped rolling, and I sputtered up snow.

I looked up, and Haruhi was now on top of me, her eyes staring down at me as if I was the most infamous murderer in human history. I wasn't so much as uncomfortable with her gaze as I was uncomfortable with our current…position, at the moment.

"You were trying to get a feel on me, weren't you? You pervert! I should rip your arms out of your sockets for that, Kyon!" Haruhi growled, keeping both my arms pinned down and preventing me from moving at all. Everything felt way too awkward for me to be scared of Haruhi at the moment.

"What are you talking about? I was the one who found you!"

I couldn't see much of Haruhi due to the darkness, so the only things that signified she was actually here at all was her voice and the fact that she was practically sitting on top of me and keeping me pressed into the packed snow. I didn't really know whether or not she cared how uncomfortable I was getting, or the fact that I was a normal teenage guy, and these things might cause some problems…

"Just don't touch me without my permission, you idiot!" Haruhi shouted at me, and my curiosity for what the expression on her face might be only grew.

"What?"

"N-Never mind…"

I would have just hit myself right now if I could move. Damn you, Haruhi! Why did she have such slender legs? Damn you even more!

Come to think of it, I wasn't feeling so comfortable anymore…

"I think you should get off me now." I said quickly, hoping that Haruhi would actually listen. Something bad was starting to brew, and I really didn't want her to notice it. A few moments passed, and thankfully, I felt Haruhi finally let go of my arms and scoot off me. Somehow, I choked out a sigh of relief. A few more seconds and…well…I'll just forget it.

"What happened?" Haruhi asked, while curling up for warmth. It felt a lot colder now, but that could just be from my earlier feeling of heat, I guess…

"An avalanche happened. And it was your entire fault…" I answered, although I mumbled the last part. The truth was obvious by now. Somehow, the whole avalanche was really all Haruhi's fault.

"What was that?" Haruhi asked, crossing her arms in the darkness and probably pouting at me.

"Nothing."

Of course, you have no idea, Haruhi. You never have.

Haruhi stood up, and I figured she was discontent right now. I wasn't exactly giving her what she wanted, so it's only natural that she would get pissed. Still, I felt a bit better. I could sense parts of the old Haruhi. Maybe she was losing her cool because of her current mood.

"We need to find everyone else!" Haruhi exclaimed to me in a loud voice.

Way to point out the obvious, Brigade Chief. Of course we need to find the others! You expect us to just stand here all night? Still, there were a few things on my mind right now that were telling me I should disagree with Haruhi. For one thing, we had no idea where we were on this mountain at all.

"How do you expect we do that? Are you a tracking expert?"

"Well…not really. But that's not the point! If we just go down the path they were going down, then we should run into them in no time." Haruhi replied, sounding triumphant in her tone.

Something is strange. Haruhi's thinking…it's different than before. She doesn't sound as coherent. I wonder…

Damn it! I couldn't just let her lead us down a path where we'll just freeze to death. I wasn't going to trust her judgment, lest both she and I end up in the obituaries tomorrow.

What the hell should we do? I couldn't just let Haruhi lead and expect to actually get somewhere with that. Though I have no idea what happened to the others, I expect that the avalanche did a good job in separating us from them. For all we know, they could believe Haruhi and me to be dead, and they may have very well abandoned any hope of finding us. I gulped, hoping this wasn't the case. Nevertheless, the chilly wind biting the air continued to tell me that Haruhi and I should get moving.

"Just follow me." I said, taking Haruhi's hand in mine, and not looking back.

I had no idea what time it was right now, but I had a good feeling that it was getting late into the hours of the night, because the cold seemed to increase with the passing of every few minutes. I had decided that the best course of action for the night would be to find shelter, because trying to find our group would probably just lead to us getting lost and freezing up in the cold.

Reluctantly, Haruhi followed me, though she stopped holding my hand at a certain point, much to my surprise. She was a stubborn girl even still, obviously not wanting to admit that she might not be able to do something by herself for once. As we walked along the rocky path that the others should have gone down, the air seemed to thin, and the cold bit at us with even more ferocity. However, it did become a lot easier to see, since the moon had come out, shining a good amount of light across the mountainous landscape.

Behind me, I could hear a faint sound emanating from Haruhi.

"Stupid...K-Kyon…"

Now's not the time for insults. What's the problem here?

I looked back, stopping in my tracks. Haruhi, despite her winter jacket and gloves, was actually hugging herself and shivering as she walked behind me. Her eyes looked like they were straining to stay open, and her walking gait was a little slow and uncoordinated. For a moment, the sight of Haruhi like this almost made my heart stop.

"Hey…are you alright?"

Haruhi scowled at me and turned her head, her voice coming out in short ripples due to the fact she was shivering from head to toe.

"I-I'm fine…just keep walking."

You idiot! You didn't look fine to me. I glanced at Haruhi's face, and I could see that her lips were already losing color. A sign of possible frostbite or hypothermia. Clearly, the cold was affecting her much more than it was affecting me.

"Get on my back. I'll carry you till we get to somewhere warmer." I told Haruhi, my back facing her as I relayed those words more as an order than a suggestion.

For a few seconds, I had a feeling Haruhi would just ignore me and keep walking ahead. The thought scared me, because the idea of her just falling onto the ground with bluish patches on her skin quickly entered my mind.

Surprisingly, I could feel her get up behind me, and without a word, put her arms around my neck and kind of hoisted herself onto my back. I would be lying if I said it wasn't at least a little awkward, but I ignored all the sensations Haruhi was causing me, and began to carry her forward on piggy-back.

And so, for the next thirty minutes, I carried Haruhi like this, enduring the whipping winds and the terrible cold that petrified the night. It was a dreadful setting, mind you. And carrying Haruhi on my back was something that I should have probably thought about first, because it was making me damn tired with each couple of steps. Nevertheless, I masked any exhaustion and continued to carry her as we ascended up the mountain path.

It's strange. The higher we got, the more I could spot snow all across the ground. It was as if a blizzard had spontaneously passed overnight. A strange phenomenon that would have probably never normally occurred. Who might have caused such a thing? I didn't think I needed to answer that for you.

After awhile, Haruhi's presence on me was not so obvious, and carrying her got a little easier despite the temperature. I was mostly afraid of some sort of blizzard starting, so my main goal was to find shelter as soon as possible.

While I carried Haruhi up an incline on the side of this mountain, I could spot quite a bit of white snow ahead. It looked like a large clearing blanketed with snow, so I initially figured that perhaps we could find some sort of shelter nearby, or dig some if we had to. The longer we stayed out here, the worse it would probably get. And now that I mentioned the cold, it was around this time that I realized how numb my fingers had become. I didn't really think to bring gloves…a stupid move.

"Hey…that looks like something…"

Haruhi gave no response. Was she sleeping, or was she already frozen? I brushed away my fears and walked towards the large clearing of snow.

When I put my foot down into the snow, I had absolutely no idea that I would sink within it and fall right through. No, I didn't expect the snow to be so lightly packed that any person without snow shoes would just topple under. And I definitely didn't expect for there to be so much snow in one place, especially when we weren't that high in the mountain yet.

And so, Haruhi and I tumbled down into the snowy ground, rolling along as white powder splashed around us. It felt like falling while on the side of a ski slope, even though it was only a few seconds of tumbling.

Finally, both of us came to a stop, though I was unlucky to slam face down into the snowy ground. Haruhi had obviously been detached from me when we went down, and she was now brushing herself off some distance away. I coughed up watery slush out and rubbed my eyes, looking around at our current location. Somehow, we had ended up underneath all this snow, in what seemed like an abnormally large hole. It was as if someone had previously shelled out all of the snow underneath to form this sort of little cave, which was approximately the size of the clubroom.

You've really got to be kidding me. Did we really happen to get this lucky?

"Moron…" Haruhi said quietly, standing up and looking around at these new surroundings. I found it amazing that somehow the gods has presented us with such a perfect locale to protect us from the elements for the night. I mean, it's just way too perfect…

I glanced at Haruhi. The answer to this became obvious once again.

"Well, I guess we found somewhere for the night…"

"I could have found it myself. I don't need your help for everything, Kyon."

"What? I'm the one who carried you here!"

"I didn't ask you to do that! I could have walked!"

Haruhi had to always be difficult, didn't she? Even when I could feel the old flame flickering when I was around, she had to continue being like this, and ruining it all. How does she plan on surviving after high school is over? I'd like to see that!

"You know what? Fine. Do whatever the hell you want. I'll stay on my side, and you stay on yours. Then we can both be happy." I commented, moving to the other half of this den, and sitting against the snowy wall, resting my head and trying to relax a little. Thankfully, this snow cave was much warmer than the outside, and I expected it would become warmer the longer we radiated our body heat inside it.

"Well...fine!"

With that, Haruhi retreated to her side and pretty much copied what I did. We were on opposite sides now, and Haruhi was glaring at me even though I wasn't trying to give her any attention at all.

I sighed. This is what you go through when you're in love, Haruhi? It was so much easier back when I first found out. Back then, you weren't this unbearable to be around.

For the next fifteen minutes, Haruhi wouldn't change her gaze, and I tried my best to ignore her. Sleep would have been the best thing, but it was hard due to the fact that I was feeling cold in multiple places. My fingers were warming up, but they were still very uncomfortable. Likewise, my face was also thawing a little bit. I had been much colder than I thought. What had driven me before? Adrenaline? Focus? Love?

There came the familiar sound from before. It was the sound of Haruhi shivering. I opened my previously closed eyes, to see Haruhi on her side, curled up and shaking from the cold. She continued to keep her glare focused on me, despite her current condition.

Damn it. She's just making me feel sorry for her now. If I had to being truthful, a time like this would signify how pathetic Haruhi was being. Even though she's going to freeze at this rate, she couldn't shake off this anger against me. She couldn't just get over herself.

Or maybe it's me. Maybe I need to get over myself. Maybe I've been the one who's been unable to accept Haruhi for the person she is, and that's what led to our separation…

No! Why did I have to be the one that was wrong? It was Haruhi's fault! It's all Haruhi's fault! She's the one who changed like this! She's the one who kicked me out of the Brigade and tried to make me jealous by using Koizumi as a weapon!

I glanced at Haruhi again, watching her like this. She was like a child unable to accept a truth that the world had presented right in her face. Kind of like someone refusing to believe that an old man who delivered gifts on Christmas wasn't real. I guessed I was like her a long time ago. I had believed in so many ridiculous things, or at least wished they were real, even though I knew full well they weren't. But even still, this wasn't necessarily the Haruhi I knew, so such things might not apply…

I sighed once again. I couldn't just let her be like this.

"I suggest coming over to my side. You're going to freeze up like an icicle at this rate."

Haruhi's expression changed to surprise for a moment, though she shifted back to her original glare in a heart beat.

"People survive the cold by sharing body heat. I don't think you want to freeze and leave the Brigade leaderless."

I guessed that comment might work. And not much to my surprise, it actually did.

"Don't…t-think this means anything, idiot.." she said while still shivering a bit.

Haruhi then began to kind of crawl over to me, although she did so with a scowl on her face, as if I was forcing her to do this. She was sitting next to me now, and for the next few seconds, there was a perpetual moment of awkwardness between us. All Haruhi had to do was lean up against me, but it was as if some ancient curse was stopping her from doing so. No, it must have been her pride.

And so, I got tired of waiting. It should have done what I was doing more often, that thing being taking action over Haruhi. Without much of a warming, I put my arm around Haruhi, and brought her just a little closer, so that she was leaning on my shoulder. If we managed to be like this for the whole night, we probably wouldn't end up freezing to death.

Haruhi didn't try to move away from me, despite my action having been a little sudden. She kind of warmed up to it actually, though I almost didn't want to see what kind of expression she was wearing on her face. I closed my eyes, leaned my head back, and pretended like I was falling asleep.

"Why…why did do it?"

My eyes opened, and I looked down at Haruhi, who was looking back up at me, with a confused look in her eyes.

"Do what?"

"You could have just saved yourself. Do you know how stupid you were for getting between that avalanche and me?"

Well, that certainly makes sense, especially coming from you, Haruhi. What the hell should I say? I didn't so much know the full answer myself. What else could I say but…

"I don't know. I guess it was a spur of the moment."

A blatant lie. Haruhi would no doubt see right through it. I knew the reason. I just didn't want to admit it completely, even to myself.

"You're lying. Tell me the truth." Haruhi said, her tone becoming more annoyed. I, on the other hand, was not in the mood to start spouting off things.

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Let me just go to sleep already…" I replied, in a vain attempt to change the subject. It worked though, and Haruhi went silent. We were practically cuddling by now, though it was all for the sake of not freezing, I swear to you!

And so, I assumed that after awhile, Haruhi had drifted off to sleep, with her arms around me as if I was a big teddy bear. I didn't mind so much. Still, going to sleep for me was a partial struggle. I felt conflicted. I felt like there were things for me to say that I was purposely avoiding. My feelings were spot on, of course.

Haruhi's presence warmed my body up more than anything else. Being here in this snow den was comforting, and when Haruhi was like this, quiet, unassuming, and sleeping softly, it was almost heavenly.

As I felt my own mind drifting off into a land of dreams, I kept a specific thought in the back of my head. I began to realize something. This kind of thing with Haruhi…I wouldn't be able to live a sane life without it. As much as I needed the abnormalities of existence, the proof that time travelers, espers and aliens really roamed out there, I needed this girl, Haruhi Suzumiya.

Tomorrow, I'll tell her. Maybe if I do, everything will just become so much easier. Perhaps rejoining the Brigade would be right within my grasp as well. A break from this insanity she's caused would be the nicest thing in the world. Even nicer than the comfort of sleep…

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**While this story is nearing it's end, it's not necessarily over yet. There's still quite a bit to be resolved, so you're going to have to stay tuned and see how it plays out! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, my willing and patient readers.**

**Here it is. I put blood and sweat into this chapter, yes, but I'm still sorry for taking so long in updating. This is the climax of the story. The one you've all been waiting for. I hope that you enjoy it, as it I put my heart into this. Now, read on. The suspense must be killing you all...**

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What did I do to deserve this?

Who the hell knows anymore? I could have done any number of things to cause myself this level of stress in my current life. I could have been a vicious and bloodthirsty feudal lord in a past life. Depending on how many men, women and children I slaughtered without mercy, I could have very well deserved all this insanity that has been thrown at me.

But that's no reason for me not to try and look up at least a little, right?

I mean, there are things in my life that are positive, right?

Well, if you can think of any, please tell me, because I certainly couldn't at the moment.

"Haruhi…"

I moaned my Brigade Chief's name as my mind rose into consciousness. My body felt really warm, despite the fact that I had been sleeping up against a wall of packed snow for the entire night. With drowsy eyes, I glanced around, scanning my surroundings.

First thing I noticed; no Haruhi.

It wasn't hard to figure that out. She had been sleeping on my shoulder, and when I looked to see if she was still sleeping, she wasn't even there in the first place.

My heart skipped a beat in panic. Wait? Why was I panicking? There's nothing to panic about! It is morning by now, and there's no way that Haruhi could get lost around here, even if she tried, right?

Wrong!

I sighed to myself as I forced myself up. If I even had half of a brain, I would have figured out by now that Haruhi was still very mad with me, and if I was going to even have a chance of at least some reconciliation, I would have to find her before she really did get lost in the surrounding wilderness.

And so, with thoughts of hopefully finding Haruhi safe and unharmed, I left the shelter that had conveniently appeared for us. It was clearly a little late in the morning, with the sun's rays reflecting on the large amounts of snow that were cluttered all around me. I ignored the chill that came with leaving my shelter, and I ventured forth, taking a good look at the surrounding landscape to see if I could see any signs of Haruhi.

I could see trees, a few mountains in the distance, the towering Mt. Fuji way above me, and a relatively clear sky. Alas, there was no sign of Haruhi at all.

"Damn..." I said to no one but myself. Was I really going to risk life and limb to go look for Haruhi? For all I know, she could have just run up higher into the mountain. Why she would do such a stupid thing is truly beyond me…

Where was she, and why did she have to be so difficult? Haruhi…she's just being so goddamn pathetic! It was only making me more annoyed, especially if it was all for my attention.

Whatever. Maybe I should just let her be. I was probably wasting my time here looking for her. It's obvious by now she doesn't want to be found.

Wait. What's that?

I turned my head for a moment, and about thirty feet away, I spotted a small figure seated on the ground, surrounded by white now, with its head resting on its knees. I felt like hitting myself in the face, but I guessed there was some relief in knowing that was Haruhi. She hadn't wandered off then…

"Haruhi!"

I called out once, expecting to hear a disgruntled "What?!?".

I waited for a few seconds, but I got no response. Haruhi was either ignoring me, or didn't hear me, so I called out to her again.

"Haruhi!"

She recognized my response, turning her head and looking back at me with a pouting expression. Her lips were twisted, and no words came out of her mouth before she turned to face forward, her face caught in a perpetual depression. I suddenly became just a little more annoyed.

"Hey! Listen to m-"

I stopped myself in mid-sentence. Just what the hell was I doing?

Look at me. Haruhi was being indignant and ignoring me, and I was still calling out to her, as if I was desperate? Was I really this much of a fool to continue allowing her to walk all over me, and pull me along like a dog? I couldn't be that fool. I couldn't just let her be a spoiled brat and think she can have whatever she wants. If she thinks it's alright to ignore my presence like this, then you know what?

I was just going to go back to the snow den. I'll just get some sleep while she sits out here and pouts all day.

And so, I decided I would follow-through with my decision, and I turned with a serious expression on my face as I completely focused myself off of Haruhi. Unfortunately, something was standing in my way, and that something just put my brain's attention on my Brigade Chief more than ever.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!?" a loud, easily recognizable voice said as it nearly made me jump out of my skin. Right in front of me, stood Haruhi, and she had a poisonous expression on her face as she pointed a sharp finger right at my chest, keeping me in place.

"What the hell?" I said out loud, looking at the Haruhi in front of me, and then having the urge to look behind me. My eyes could only grow wide when I realized that the Haruhi sitting behind me and pouting was in fact still there, and now there was a second, more pissed-off Haruhi standing in my way.

"Be quiet! There are important things for us to discuss, Kyon!" the Haruhi in front of me blatantly shouted in my face, while grabbing me roughly by the collar at the same time. Her glare was powerful, and I was forced to stare into her eyes as she spoke.

"Why did you do it?"

"Why did I do what?" I said with an almost nervous quiver in my voice. Something about this Haruhi felt so familiar, yet so distant at the same time. She was almost scaring me a little bit.

"Don't play stupid. Why did you have the idiotic nerve to break up with me?"

Something didn't feel right. Would the Haruhi I know say something so forward like that? She might…but it seemed to me that she's avoided saying that kind of thing so directly.

What did that mean then? If there were two Haruhi's…was there a possibility that…this was the point that Koizumi had been telling me about? Was this the breaking point, when Haruhi wouldn't be able to take the reality of our separation any longer? I didn't know the answer, but I still couldn't help but gulp. I guessed I would assume that the Haruhi holding my collar and screaming in my face like this was the more "normal" Haruhi. I could be wrong though. Like it mattered anyway.

"What's your answer?" she said with an even louder voice, tugging on my collar more tightly and breaking me out of my train of thought. I could feel her hot breath warming up my face a little bit in this weather. Behind me, I assumed that the more docile but still unhappy Haruhi was watching us, or ignoring us.

"That's not an easy question…"

"Answer it, Kyon. If you don't, then you're going to sorely regret it..."

I gave Haruhi a glare of my own. She was threatening me now, wasn't she?

"What are you going to do, Haruhi? Are you going to punch me in the face? Physical violence isn't going to get me back. You've already kicked me out of the SOS Brigade. What more are you going to do?"

"Shut up! Just answer my question and stop going off-topic!" she replied, this time with a slight crack in her voice. Whatever was happening in her mind, I had a good feeling she was beginning to feel like she was losing against me. In a way, I think she really was.

"I don't know if I want to. I don't like being roughly interrogated like this." I replied, turning away from her and pretending as if I was just ignoring her. I guess I didn't really think about the possible repercussions of such an action.

"You…"

"I'll show you rough!!" Haruhi shouted before shoving me hard, and causing me to topple backwards into the snowy ground. Though some snow helped cushion my fall, I still felt myself hit the hard ground, and suddenly, I was feeling extremely pissed.

Haruhi looked ready to say something to me, but I cut her off. I had had enough of this. Everything came out very fast.

"Goddamn it! I'm sick of this!"

Haruhi looked down at me, her face full of sudden surprise at my outburst, and I simply looked back at her, a similar anger in my own eyes. I could feel my blood boiling, and just looking at this girl in front of me was just making it worse by the second.

"You don't get it, do you? You're nasty and overbearing! Why do you think I broke up with you? I can't deal with your insanity! You're crazy, you're spoiled, and you think the whole goddamn world should be spinning around you! It isn't all about you, Haruhi! There's more to this universe than you or your stupid and idiotic plans! I'm sick of being pushed around by you, and I'll die before I continue dealing with a girlfriend who treated me more like a slave!!!"

My voice was loud and clearly full of rage. It had all come out so sudden, and even I didn't expect to ever hear myself like this. Haruhi had made me so mad. She had pissed me off to my limit at this point. This was the outcome. She had brought this upon herself for being this way.

"…you're lying…"

Haruhi was looking down at me, her face straining to keep tears from forming. Her teeth were gritted at me, and I could see her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Even though she was standing above me, I realized something very different about this situation. It was something that I never figured would happen in my lifetime.

I was in a position of power over Haruhi right now. I was the one pulling the strings.

"I'm not lying. You're not the kind of person I ever intend to spend the rest of my life with, at least like this."

Haruhi looked confused, and at the same time, she was on the verge of tears. I had finally hit the spot, it seems. It was, or at least it should be depressing to see her like this. Yet even still, I couldn't feel a pang of guilt in my mind. I was a bit empty, looking back at this saddened Haruhi with emotionless eyes.

"Stop lying, you idiot! I didn't do anything wrong! It was your entire fault!"

Haruhi was holding her tears back well, but her voice easily showed signs of the fact that she was beginning to break. I could feel the pain and sadness in her words, but my mind ignored the emotions, and focused merely on the fact that she was being rather pathetic right now. I guessed I didn't realize that I was being heartless.

"I don't want to hear it, Haruhi. You know whose fault it is."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Haruhi was screaming her words now. I turned slightly, and I could see she was trembling behind me, as if the cold had gotten to her. Tears were streaming down her face, and her fists were clenched tight. Nevertheless, I didn't let myself get easily convinced by all this.

I turned away.

Now I could see the smaller, more docile Haruhi, who was still on the ground. She was still facing forward, her head resting on her knees. I wondered what her expression was, but I didn't dare go and see for myself. I should probably head back to the den and get some rest. Just letting Haruhi deal with this alone was the best course of action at the moment.

Her normal self is just so selfish. She couldn't help but blame me, even though the entire situation is her fault. I couldn't deal with something like that. She put all the blame on me, and then she blew up on me when I finally was able to release the truth. And even after that, I couldn't accept her sudden change of mood. I couldn't let her continue to influence me so easily. That me should have died a long time ago.

I sighed. Why had I become so empty like this? Was I truly accepting the inevitable? Reconciliation with a girl like Haruhi Suzumiya…that was impossible, wasn't it?

I finally decided that this was all over. With my mind as empty as I could make it, I headed for the snow den. At this point in time, the Haruhi that had been in front of me had disappeared. It didn't matter though. It was better now that she was gone.

"…I'm sorry."

Her voice. It was quiet. Almost quiet enough that I probably wouldn't have heard it. Yet by some will of fate, I heard exactly what she said, and I stopped in my tracks. My expression twisted into sudden shock, and it was as if everything seemed to just stop, including time itself.

What did Haruhi just say?

Something in my mind…sort of snapped. I felt almost unable to comprehend this kind of thing. When was the last time Haruhi ever apologized to me about something? I thought on it, long and hard, as I stood there. Time felt slow and viscous as my mind searched for an answer.

I remembered it now. We were both together, leaving school, and Haruhi had hugged me tight. She had told me she was sorry. This was after our battle with the Antithesis, and after she had become so forceful and angry with me for a short period of time, causing me to declare that we were finished. In all reality, we really could have just never broken up in the first place. In reality, maybe I had just been unable to forgive her for something that wasn't her fault.

I turned, but Haruhi was still in the same sitting position. It was around this time that I noticed the change in scenery. The sky was getting dark with black clouds, and it was happening fast.

"I'm sorry, Kyon."

She said it again, and her words drove themselves into my heart like an icy spike. Some sort of terrible feeling was rushing into me now.

Was it guilt? Was it remorse? Was it regret? I didn't know, but I was beginning to feel terrible. I was beginning to feel like everything I had done had been wrong.

The sky continued to blacken above us, and soon, it was as dark as night. The snow no longer was reflecting sunlight, but instead being blanketed in the darkness that was perpetrated by this now angry sky. I could hear Haruhi's voice, and it became louder as she stood up and finally found the courage to face me.

"I'm sorry!"

Lightning. I watched lightning crack across the sky in powerful arcs. The world began to change in color and mood, and from my spot, I could see Haruhi Suzumiya, tears welling up in her eyes, and an expression of pure sadness written all over her face.

"Haruhi…hold on a second…" I said to her, walking back slowly, trying my best to express concern on my face. Fear was beginning to overtake me, and the feeling increased with every consecutive lightning flash.

"I'm sorry!"

The ground rumbled as if the earth was threatening to rip open. I felt myself shudder and lose balance, and I fell backwards into the snow, which there was not too much left of. The rocky dirt hurt quite a bit when I made impact, causing me to become dizzy for a moment. Meanwhile, Haruhi continued to stand in her place, shaking her head back and forth as she was practically making a river of tears.

"I'm sorry, Kyon! I'm sorry for it all!"

Her words were reaching me. It wasn't like they didn't feel sincere. In fact, I could tell that there was nothing but honesty in her voice. To watch Haruhi standing there, as the world shook around her, her eyes full of tears while the black sky crackled with lightning, seemed like a sight that I almost couldn't even fathom.

"Haruhi, you kind of need to calm down…" I tried to say as I stood up, but Haruhi didn't seem to listen.

"I should have been better! I should have been nicer! I was a terrible Brigade Chief!"

Yeah. She definitely wasn't listening.

"Haruhi! Will you just listen to me for once?" I shouted as the rumbling only seemed to get stronger around us. Lightning flashed in the clouds with even more ferocity, lighting up the sky for brief moments.

Finally, Haruhi fell to her knees, holding herself as the tears in her eyes continued to stream down her face. Her voice became louder than ever before.

"I JUST WANT YOU TO LOVE ME!"

That was when everything went downhill.

Above me, I heard what sounded like an explosion of epic proportions. It blasted through my ears, causing me to strain my mind from the loudness of the sudden sound. When I looked up, my eyes widened more than ever, as I could see red glowing shapes flying off the top of Mt. Fuji. There was a strong sensation of heat, even though we were very, very far from the summit. Something was wrong.

I realized then that Mt. Fuji was still in fact an active volcano. I looked back at Haruhi, and I will tell you now that I didn't think I've ever been more scared in my entire life.

The events that led up to all of this…my mind seemed to gloss over them at this sudden moment. It all started when I broke up with Haruhi. Everything had seemed fine back then, and at the time, I had actually felt better than ever. But as I would soon find out, things were not okay. Haruhi developed an alternate personality over the summer, and it passed on over to the new semester of school as well. Because of her new, more devious self, she managed to treat me worse than ever, attempted to make me jealous by using Koizumi, and finally, kick me out of the SOS Brigade.

What did this all mean?

I think I finally figured it out. While fire was probably raining down all around us, I finally figured out why this was happening to me.

The answer was so simple. Haruhi really did love me.

Of course, she said it just now, but that's really not the biggest hint. She's always been one to act, not say. All this time, I've been expecting Haruhi to say these things to me, to tell me that she cared. I felt like I was being used by her, like I was just another normal human she would dump in a heartbeat.

But she did care. The fact that she would change so much, just for me, meant that she actually cared more than anyone else. The fact that she was here, threatening to destroy the surrounding landscape of Mt. Fuji with her god-like powers, meant that she cared.

It sounded crazy, but it was true.

"…Please…I said I was sorry…"

Haruhi seemed to almost moan in pain now. I realized that if I didn't act fast, we would both be doomed.

I approached her, looking down at the figure that was Haruhi Suzumiya. She seemed so frail and weak. This was nothing like her. I couldn't let this continue, or our end was imminent.

"I just want you back, Kyon! I want you to lo-"

The one time I had almost hit Haruhi was quite awhile ago, she had pissed me off after abusing Asahina-san, and if Koizumi hadn't stopped me, I would have literally punched her in the face. I had luckily cooled down after that scene, but nevertheless, I realized that perhaps I do have a bit of a temper hidden underneath my bland exterior.

This time, however, I had no one to stop me when I slapped Haruhi right across her right cheek. It was quick, but it was firm enough that I was able to shut her up and hopefully be able to express me point.

"Stop your nonsense. You're being ridiculous."

Haruhi had become speechless after I had slapped her, and she put a hand on her cheek as her eyes looked shocked. Her tears had suddenly stopped, and her mouth was open in shock. It was a little amusing, considering that I hadn't actually hit Haruhi that hard. Either way, I could feel the rumbling behind me, as well as a growing sensation of heat. I had to do this quickly.

"Listen to me. I think I understand now, Haruhi."

"What…"

She seemed to trail off, as if unable to comprehend me.

"I know why you do what you do. In that crazy mind of yours, it's just all being done for us. I guess you're not used to expressing yourself with words. Actions are more of your calling card."

"…………."

"You know what, Haruhi?"

"I think I figured out exactly why I love you. There was a time when I lead a boring existence, and everything in the world seemed drab and gray. All the things that once permeated my childhood, all the dreams of meeting strange beings and being a hero, faded away when I entered high school. I thought it would remain that way forever, and then, I happened to meet you. You changed things, Haruhi. From the moment I met you, I had a feeling that things were going to be radically different. I had a feeling that the once stagnant normalcy of my life would be tossed aside."

"…………."

"I'm not too good at saying these things, but I guess…you kind of complete me. I needed some sort of catalyst, a hyper girl like you who believed in nothing but the extraordinary and the bizarre. I'll be honest. I didn't like you much at first. You annoyed the hell out of me. But time does some weird things to a person. I guess you grew on me, Haruhi. I guess after awhile, I realized you were just the kind of person that I needed in my life. You were the last puzzle piece. You…you really do complete me."

"I know what you did in the last few months was because you wanted to be the girl that I wanted, but I don't want you to be someone else. I want you to be...you. I want you back, Haruhi. I want…my Brigade Chief back."

Haruhi had been speechless for awhile now. I wondered if it was taking her awhile to process all my words.

I hope it didn't sound too cheesy.

I sighed. I had to get this out. It's now or never.

"I guess trivial things don't matter so much anymore. I love you, Haruhi."

"Kyon…I…l-love you too…"

There wasn't anything left to say. After Haruhi had uttered my name, I had moved in just a little close. It was a fast kiss, but it was one that I needed to do. Part of it involved saving us, and part of it was something that I've wanted to do for the longest time now. On the plus side, I had figured out by now that kissing Haruhi seemed to serve as some sort of Escape Rope. Go figure.

The heat got stronger. The world continued to rumble. As I kissed Haruhi, who seemed to be wrapping her arms around me, clearly happy, there was a bright flash of lightning.

It blinded me, and after a few seconds, everything became totally and utterly white.

________

A few moments of this blank whiteness passed. Then, I could feel something cold.

"Kyon! Are you awake?"

Haruhi's voice was louder than usual, and it caused me to awaken with a start. My entire face felt cold, and I brushed off snow from it as I sat up. I was feeling a little dizzy too.

When I opened my eyes, I could see Haruhi, sitting next to me, a concerned look on her face. In the distance, I could hear voices and a large number of footsteps. The sunset was behind us, and I could see that we were both in the same clearing, though surrounded by quite a bit of snow.

"You're…you're fine." Haruhi said to me, her voice a little low, but sounding relieved. I looked at her, and in an instant, I felt myself…smile.

Before Haruhi could say another word, I hugged her tightly. The sensation of just being with her, the thought of seeing her face, and hearing her voice, made me happier than ever. Even being still half-buried in snow, I felt warmth flow through my entire body that could rival a bonfire. I felt great. No. I felt amazing.

"There they are!"

Taniguchi's loud voice rang out like a bell, and as I hugged Haruhi, still smiling like an idiot, I could see everyone hurrying towards us.

"Something wrong?" Haruhi asked nervously, and I wondered if she perhaps blushing.

"No…nothing's wrong." I replied, almost laughing as I spoke.

What exactly had happened to get me here? At this point in time, I didn't really care. I didn't care about why Haruhi did what she did, or how the both of us were nearly killed just seconds ago.

No, all I cared about right now is my current situation. Haruhi Suzumiya was here, with me, and somehow, everything felt perfect.

I was a fool right now. A happy fool. At a moment like this, a single, prominent thought seemed to run through my head over and over again.

Things just couldn't be better.

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**I hope you enjoyed that. It was well-worth the time to write it. I'd like to note something. If you haven't already figured it out, JonBob008 has been my beta reader since the beginning of this story. So, I do have to thank him a million times over for helping me make what I believe is the best story I have ever written thus far. I thank you for all your reviews, and next up, the epilogue to this story approaches. I hope it was worth it to write it, because now, _The Infinity of Haruhi Suzumiya_ is on the horizon. **

**Stay tuned for the end to this. I think y'all will enjoy it. :)**


	15. Epilogue

**Well, here it is, my willing readers. The epilogue to The Normalcy of Haruhi Suzumiya has finally arrived. Enjoy it. **

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I have a big confession to make. This was going to sound a bit out there, but I assure you that it is completely true.

I was very excited right now. With my bag slung over my shoulder, and a strange smile on my face, I savored every step towards the SOS Brigade clubroom. The world felt very sweet right now.

The events of the past two days went pretty fast, to tell the truth. A lot had happened in such a small span of time, but I'll try my best to go over it in a clear and concise manner.

Let's start with the trip. After Haruhi and I were found, seemingly unharmed after that avalanche, the trip was cut short, and Haruhi seemed more than happy that she could send everyone home without having to spend all that money for them to see Tokyo. She mentioned that walking around Tokyo sounded boring to her, and she had some other things she had wanted to do instead. Call me crazy, but I had a feeling that perhaps she just wanted to save some of that money for other, more important purposes...

And so, we were all sent home, with people like Taniguchi complaining about how he didn't get his "money's worth". The fact that he didn't actually pay anything and that the only reason he wanted to go to Tokyo is so he could probably sneak off to one of those adult video stores just made me think of him as more of an idiot.

Personally, I was fine with the fact that we never got to see Tokyo. I can clearly remember Eikino-san giving us a tearful goodbye when we were embarking on the buses. I guessed the old man probably had enjoyed our company greatly.

Sometime later, I remembered getting a short voice-mail message from Haruhi. She started spouting out about the next culture festival, which she planned making ten times better than the last. She said that like last time, she planned on having Last Alliance attend.

I still wonder what the hell she did to get those two guys to play with her! Explanations always seem beyond Haruhi.

On another note, just yesterday, before this very Tuesday where I was on my way to the clubroom, Haruhi made a very important announcement to our class. After hearing it, I was pretty sure that she had completely returned to normal.

"I'm am officially resigning from the position of class representative. I realize now that it is getting in the way of my position as Brigade Chief, which is way more important!"

You heard right. Haruhi said that out loud to everyone, leaving most of my classmates surprised and Okabe-sensei relatively stunned. Still, it was more than enough proof that Haruhi's looping normalcy had finally reached its end.

And thank heavens too. To tell the truth, this normalcy of hers was far worse than her bouts of rage back when the Antithesis was still a big problem to us. Of course, I seemed to be the only one who actually saw all this as a good thing. In response to Haruhi's resignation, I remembered Taniguchi saying something along the lines of...

"I knew it! She's still the same freaky girl! Nothing really changed with her! We were all tricked!"

You weren't tricked, Taniguchi. You're just too moronic to see that Haruhi just...

Never mind. He didn't know all the things I knew. Most people didn't.

So...now we've arrived on the topic of today. I still haven't mentioned why I was so excited to get to the clubroom. With my school day having ended, the SOS Brigade clubroom seemed like an old safe haven to me. It was always a safe haven. I just guessed that a time like this was one where I truly appreciated it. Having had cleaning duty for our class today, I had ended up being just a little late in making my way to the clubroom.

I sighed heavily as my hand gripped the doorknob. Everything felt like molasses around me. I already knew that people were inside of this room, waiting for me. People I had currently spent so much time with for the last year and half. People that, truthfully, were probably among some of the most important people in my entire life.

And now....the moment I've been waiting for has finally come. I opened the door.

"There he is!"

Haruhi's voice, despite being very loud and a little obnoxious, was like a comforting bell. While that doesn't make much sense, it seemed that just being able to hear Haruhi talking like she should be was a pure godsend.

I scanned the room, putting on a slightly sarcastic smile. All the familiar faces were here, and seeing each one of them made me happier than ever. Asahina-san was the first to greet me, dressed in her wonderful maid outfit. The aroma of her fantastic tea hit me fast, igniting my senses.

"Welcome back, Kyon-kun! We all missed you!"

Her voice sounded so genuine. I thank Haruhi a thousand times for having such a kind being in our club.

Then, I saw another familiar face. Sporting his usual smile, Koizumi sat comfortably in his usual chair. He gave off a warm aura unfamiliar to me.

"We certainly did. It feels good to that all of us are all together again. It's been too different around here without you."

Wow. I actually believe your words for once, Koizumi. That's saying something.

In the far corner of the room, I could see Nagato, who wasn't reading the book on her lap, but actually staring at me. She didn't blink once, and although her voice was a bit low, I could still clearly hear the one word she uttered.

"Greetings."

I have to say...all these greetings were just making me feel a lot better. Not that I was even feeling bad in the first place. I was far from it.

Finally, one figure was directly across from me, a smile on her face as she had her arms crossed. I smirked. Haruhi was wearing something I never actually expected to see her in. She had said time and time again she would wear it, but I never thought she actually would do it.

Haruhi was wearing the exact same maid outfit as Asahina-san. Somehow, I held back the urge to laugh at her. I guessed something like that would just ruin the moment.

"Yes...welcome back, Kyon! You are going to be the first member to be part of my newest decree to the the Brigade." Haruhi said in an excited voice. As I took a seat, putting my backpack on the floor, I couldn't help but stare a bit at Haruhi. I'll be honest. She looked damn hot in the maid outfit.

"New decree? I'd like to hear this."

I chuckled. I would like to hear this very much.

Haruhi walked right past of me, speaking with a very authoritative tone of voice.

"As a former member of the Brigade, the process of rejoining my club isn't just simply being let back in. It has to be interesting! So, I've decided that from now on, if any member is kicked out and allowed back in, the Brigade Leader will be forced to something embarrassing as part of them rejoining."

On another day, I would have just hit myself as the pure ridiculousness in Haruhi's declaration. Shouldn't I be the one wearing that outfit, at least if Haruhi really wanted to make this decree worthwhile? I'll just ignore the fact. Today, it just made me smile.

"I think that looks good on you."

Haruhi turned quickly, pouting at me as she blushed bright red. Asahina-san was already serving myself and Koizumi her freshly-brewed tea, and the wonderful aroma seemed to make the entire situation that much better.

"It does look good on you, Suzumiya-san. You should wear it more often." Asahina-san commented in a sweet voice, as I began to take a sip of her tea. Still fantastic as usual.

"Well...that's besides the point! You didn't let me finish what I was going to say, Kyon. The process of you rejoining the Brigade isn't just the Brigade Chief having to wear something like this! As a returning member, I will expect you to do something just as embarrassing in the future!"

Haruhi's pointing finger wasn't the least bit imposing, despite how much she was trying to make it. In fact, I found it kind of cute.

"I understand."

This all sounded so ridiculous. I should be shaking my head back and forth at Haruhi's behavior. I should be asking myself why I was in this clubroom right now. I should be, but I wasn't.

"So is this the part where I get knighted?" I said nonchalantly. Haruhi smiled wide.

"Not just yet! I had the Sewing Club make something special just for the occasion. I'll go get it!" Haruhi replied, before turning tail and running out the door. Her maid outfit made her just a little slower as it fluttered behind her as she stormed out in a flash. I let a smile creep on my face from that.

A few moments of silence passed, before I turned to face the rest of the clubroom's occupants. I had a good feeling I knew what was going to happen next.

"I'm glad to see that Suzumiya-san's personality has fully returned. It's certainly kept the Agency from falling apart out of panic."

As expected, I already knew that Koizumi had some sort of explanation for me. With both Asahina-san and Nagato here as well, I assumed that they probably had their own interpretations of all the past events as well. I relaxed in my seat. This would probably be a bit long...

"Your esper friends can't keep their cool because of yet another incident?"

It was kind of true, you know. Every time another situation with Suzumiya-san happened, Koizumi would always go on about how worried the Agency was, and how panic was on the horizon. After so many times of having experienced Haruhi causing the near end of the world, I would have expected these espers to get used to it. I guessed I was wrong.

"You misunderstand. This wasn't necessarily another simple incident. As you saw, Haruhi caused an adverse effect on the world this time around. Where there was nothing, strange phenomenons began to surface. It seems that the more Suzumiya-san let herself become absorbed by normalcy, the more the world contrasted by becoming stranger."

Didn't we go over this already? I believed there are other things I wanted to ask.

"You told me this. There are other things that are still confusing me. Maybe you can give me an answer to those things."

Koizumi's smile seemed to get wider, or maybe it was just my imagination. I felt like it was starting to annoy me again. How long was Haruhi planning on taking anyway? This all felt way too convenient.

"The other day...back when I was alone with Haruhi on the mountain...some weird things happened. Weirder than usual."

Koizumi said nothing. He gave me an expression that I got the feeling meant something along the lines of...

"This is Suzumiya-san. What else do you expect?"

"There were two Haruhi's. They appeared right before she went into meltdown mode."

Koizumi did not answer me immediately, and instead rubbed his chin inquisitively. I really hoped the answer he planned on giving me wasn't one he just pulled out of nowhere.

"I'll be honest with you. I don't think I have an answer to that." Koizumi answered in an a seemingly honest tone. He could still be lying though.

I groaned internally, and my brain clenched up. Great. The one thing that had to ruin my day was yet another unanswered question. I knew something like this was going to come along. How could I be so dense?

"You know....I should probably...tell you something..."

Asahina-san's soft voice surfaced behind me, causing me to turn and face the time traveler. She looked like she had a confused expression, or perhaps more unsure. Whatever it was, it seemed like she actually did have something to tell me.

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

"It's...It's...nothing..." Asahina-san choked out. I could tell something was wrong. And when something was wrong in this context...well...I didn't really want to think about it much.

"I'm back!"

The door opened as Haruhi's voice boomed through the clubroom. Still dressed in her maid outfit, Haruhi had something blue in her right hand. It was bright blue, actually, and as usual, I wondered what the hell she had planned.

"What's that?" I asked as Haruhi closed the door behind her. To tell the truth, I was trying to get my mind off of the unanswered questions and Asahina-san's sudden reluctance to tell me whatever it was she was going to tell me.

"Just stand up, Kyon. And close your eyes."

Haruhi sounded serious now. Without further questioning, I simply listened to what she said, getting out of my chair and closing my eyes as I felt her presence move closer. As I kept my eyes closed shut, I could feel her fiddling around with my arm. In fact, it almost felt like she was feeling my bicep. I'd be flattered if I didn't know that Haruhi was definitely not that kind of girl.

Finally, the movements around my arm stopped, and I could feel something light wrapped around it now. Haruhi sounded very satisfied.

"Alright. Open your eyes!."

I did just as Haruhi said, and as I looked at my arm, I was greeted by a bright blue armband wrapped around it. Inspecting the armband, I could see that the words " Brigade Member Forever" were written across it in dark black marker. Besides being blue and having different words written on it, it was just like Haruhi's red armband.

"Welcome back to the SOS Brigade! Don't you think about quitting ever again!"

I smiled wide.

Don't worry, Haruhi. I certainly won't.

--

Well...I think I have to say something now. At the moment, all was well.

Disaster had once again been averted. I guessed that since Haruhi had changed back to her definition of normal, the many strange things we had seen have probably disappeared by now. Even still, I wondered if out there in the Japanese waters...a giant monster still lurked. I was probably being paranoid again.

But you want to know something? As I waited outside of the school, behind a corner so Haruhi couldn't see me when she finally came out, I felt great. I felt like myself again. I felt like depression or sadness was miles away from me now. It was a good feeling to have.

But even with everything so resolved...there was still something left for me to do. I still could remember telling Haruhi I loved her back on Mt. Fuji. I wasn't lying, and that wasn't a dream. The reconciliation I had been longing for between us was finally in my grasp.

I heard one of the exit doors of North High open behind me. Hidden out of view, I smiled, as I knew now was the time to act. I had specifically told Haruhi to wait for me for a reason.

Looking downwards, I dialed Haruhi's number on my cellphone. What I was about to do could be the stupidest, or smartest thing I've ever tried on Haruhi. If it worked, it would make me very, very happy. And if didn't...

I wouldn't be thinking about that possibility. Call me mad, but I'll just have faith in Haruhi Suzumiya.

For a few moments, I could hear Haruhi's cellphone ringing. Before I knew it, she picked up, and her voice was audible on the other line.

"Where are you, Kyon? You said you'd be waiting for me outside!"

She sounded a little ticked, but it was just too cute. I held in the urge to laugh on the other line.

"Before you say anything else, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

I sighed slightly. Here we go.

"Well...there's this new movie out in the theaters. I can't complete recall the name, but the title had disappearance in it. It has something to do with an alien girl changing the world or something. Anyway, it sounded pretty weird, so I would guess it would be the kind of movie you'd want to go see. What do you think about that, Haruhi?"

"........"

She was silent. For the next few seconds, I could hear nothing. Checking my phone, I wondered if I had accidentally hung up on her.

"What the hell..." I said to myself in a low voice.

"You think you're funny, don't you?!?" Haruhi screamed loudly in my ear, causing me to jump back in alarm, and proceed to fall backwards on the ground. My phone bounced along the asphalt before skidding to a stop.

She found me. Damn it all...

"Didn't I tell you this before? Asking people out on the phone is stupid! That kind of important thing needs to be said in person! What kind of girl do you mistaken me for, Kyon?"

A crazy one. Damn it! I thought that would work!

"Sorry about that then. Maybe I should just get going." I said as I stood up, picking up my backpack and my hopefully still-working phone. I felt a little disappointed all of a sudden.

"Wait!!"

I turned around. Haruhi was blushing red, her arms crossed as she kept her gaze of of me.

"I never said...I didn't accept. I'm just a little surprised, is all. I expected you to be more forward."

I think this was the point I was waiting for. Watching Haruhi act like an embarrassed school girl was not only funny, but it almost felt satisfying. For once, Haruhi was the one submitting, not me. In a way, this felt just like the kind of compromise between us that I've been waiting forever for. It certainly took long enough!

"Good. We'll go see it tomorrow then."

Haruhi's blush was beginning to disappear now. An awkward silence would develop between us if I didn't break it.

"So I'm guessing I should walk you home now?"

Haruhi's expression changed. A smile formed on her face, and that familiar glint was appearing in her eyes. She moved close to me, and before I could react, firmly grabbed me by the hand.

"Walk? Who said anything about walking? We're sprinting to my house! I've got homework to finish, and you're going to help me with it!" Haruhi declared, before she rocketed forward with the energy of a roadrunner. Now caught in her grip, I had no choice but to attempt to keep up with her inhuman speed.

As we ran, hand in hand, I started laughing.

It's strange. I never laugh like this. Something just compelled me to be happier than usual. Someone was pulling me towards happiness, to be exact. If I hadn't met Haruhi Suzumiya, how much of a boring high school would I have turned out to be?

You know what? I didn't even want to think about it.

The sunset was already starting as Haruhi and I ran. It cast a light glow over Haruhi, who couldn't be more beautiful than she was while running like this. God, I feel so crazy right now.

I laughed a little more.

"What's so funny?" Haruhi said quickly as we ran, with not a hint of exhaustion in her voice. I should expect that from her.

"Nothing. I'm just in a really good mood right now."

Something told me that tomorrow would just be all the better. Despite what I might have previously thought, I think the future waiting for me is a far better one than I could ever have imagined.

Because with Haruhi in the equation, the world just keeps get more interesting every second.

_**--**_

_**THE END**_

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**Wow!**

**I mean wow! It seems like I've actually reached four consecutive stories. I swear, I never thought this to be possible. I mean, I didn't think I would like an anime so much that it drove me to write so much about it. **

**But that's all besides the point. I feel like I've reached a milestone now. I'd like to thank you all for reading this story, and I'd especially like to thank Jonbob008 for being the most helpful beta reader I could ever ask for. If it weren't for him, this story wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it now is. Thanks again, friend. **

**As I said before, I thank all the people who have read my fics too. That Dude In The Shades gets massive props for featuring The Attraction of Haruhi Suzumiya in one of his videos, and I want to thank you all for your helpful reviews. A shout out goes out to Nederbord for his very in-depth reviews, and just about everyone else who took the time to write a review for this story. I couldn't have reached this four-story milestone without your support.**

**Now, there is still yet another story on the horizon. You may think everything is all fine...but you've yet to see...**

**--  
**

_**THE INFINITY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA.**_

_**--  
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**What does the future really hold for Haruhi and Kyon? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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